Adolescence
by suikalopolis
Summary: "It's the spring that you sour old men can't ever experience again."  DateSana
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Forgive me if this piece of writing is terrible. I have been down in the dumps lately, being swamped with uni work and endless drifting. My current drive has fallen to Sengoku Basara and I believe Yukimura needs to be kidnapped and be wedded. He is just that precious. Alas, this shall be my first M-rated fic which has actual R-18 stuff inside it, though I've split this supposed one-shot into parts because for some reason the word count kept growing. I had written this fic as a challenge to myself and to contribute something to the SB fandom, so here we go.

**Summary:** [AU] Really, if Yukimura hadn't looked at that time, he wouldn't be experiencing this strange burning in his chest. He wouldn't have found his eyes straying a little too much. And he certainly wouldn't find himself in this surreal situation where his nails were digging into Date Masamune's back. [DateSana]

**Warnings:** Slight OOC perhaps (not too sure if I fully captured their characters). Shonen-ai. A first attempt at writing a relatively mild R18 scene. Yikes.

**Disclaimer:** Sengoku Basara solely belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and the genius minds of those who had worked together to create such a fabulous piece of work. I merely pinched some of the characters to play with.

* * *

**A d o l e s c e n c e**

**a** **D**at**e****x****S**a**n**a st**or**y

By **s****u I k a's** **w I n d** o _f_ t h e **c e l e s t I a l**

* * *

It was purely accidental.

Yet Yukimura, after shaking off the initial shock which had waved over him and swiftly turning on his heel to face the opposite wall in order to give the other man some privacy out of his own discretion, was the least to say still somewhat disturbed. It was bewildering to the young man as he stood there, his fingers long unclothed from his leather gloves twitched and tingled from the sudden feel of just how alien and naked his hands seemed to feel at that moment. He swallowed back the lump which had formed his throat and trained his eyes to the few articles of his own garment by his feet. His toes tentatively curled against the smooth surface of the tatami floors as if to maintain his balance upon it.

There was a telltale swish of fabric through air and the dull thump of clothes upon the ground.

Yukimura, in spite of knowing just how _wrong _it was, could not help but seize this opportunity to steal another small glance.

Broad shoulders.

Old fading battle scars.

Wiry muscles rooting across in a complex network under that smooth expanse of skin…

"Oi. Sanada."

Yukimura quickly averted his eyes and trained back them back to a particular spot on the floor. He bit his lower lip.

"_You coming_?" There he goes again, with those strange beguiling words that just seemed to easily roll off that foreign tongue with that peculiar liquid-like quality. For some reason at this particular moment and to his ears, Masamune had sounded different than usual. His voice was huskier. Each syllable by which he had articulated in his own unique Date-esque way was sending shivers down Yukimura's spine. And it was not because of fear. No, it was not fear. No, it was more like…it was almost something akin to that suffocating, _overwhelming_ surge of feeling he gets whenever he dashes through a battlefield, eyes looking straight ahead – all in search of that one man. Yukimura reached up and tightened his grip around the hem of his trousers.

"Please excuse me Lord Masamune but there is…I just remembered there is a matter which I need to tend to first. Please, go in before me. I shall accompany you after…after I've completed my task. It shouldn't take too long."

Masamune clicked his tongue in a slight annoyance. "Don't you have that monkey to do errands for you? Seriously, you need to take a step back and relax once in a while. _Okay._ On your way out, can you tell Kojuro to not cook anymore leeks tonight? I'm getting sick of them. He seriously down _cool down _with all those leeks he keeps growing in his garden. It's like every night he-"

Yukimura could only manage to make a small nod of affirmation as Masamune's voice gradually drifted into the clouds of hot steam which had escaped the baths the moment he pulled the door back and slowly made his way in, the muscles of his arms and legs rippling with every stride he took.

"Oi Yukimura, you better hurry up with that task of yours or you'll be missing out on Oshu's best herbal bath that my men have prepared, _you see_?"

"Y..Yes. Thank you for hospitability, Lord Masamune. As you wish my Lord…I…shan't be long."

Masamune snorted in amusement and slid the door close, shutting off the welcoming warmth which Yukimura found his body, sore from all the intense training routine he had gone through the day with the Lord of Oshu, slowly beginning to yearn for. Normally, he would have quickly strip off his armour and undergarments, jump into the hot bath with much vigour and sigh in relief as soon as the hot herbal water would work their magic to ease his strained muscles. He would sit beside the One-Eyed Dragon and share a drink with him, eyes gleaming in drunken happiness as they would exchange silly stories about their latest escapades with their retainers. He would sit beside Masamune and relish in those rare moments of calm, the reality of a battle-torn era long forgotten and pushed to the back of their minds after cups and cups of cool sake. Yes. That was what normally would happen.

However.

Yukimura felt the sudden surge of warmth sweep across his cheeks as his ears reddened. His heart was racing and _pounding _– somuchsomuchitsgoingtoburst– against his chest. His breathing had become slow, difficult and ragged.

Teeth digging into the soft flesh of his quivering lip with increasing pressure, he stared down at the noticeable tent that had formed beneath his trousers. There was a sudden pang of _something _in his chest and Yukimura could not help but slip his hand beneath the hem and gently grasp the hardening length of his erection.

There were a few splashes within the bath and clouds of hot steam had escaped up into the night sky as a long blissful sigh had echoed through the rice paper screens of the sliding door.

Yukimura, upon hearing such a peculiar guttural and _exotic_ sound from his rival, could not hold back the small strangled gasp he had been trying to stifle and crumpled to ground, knees weak.

* * *

"Master."

A flicker of silver.

"Master."

The fluttering of unruly brown strands.

"_Maaaster._"

And a bead of sweat rolled down the angular curve of Masamune's jaw, slowly slithering down and down and down the column of that beautifully strong neck – gliding ever so smoothly over the man's fine collarbone that strangely looked _so __**unbelievably**_–

"Yo." Suddenly a pair of bright forest green eyes appeared and they were peering right back at him, shining with impishness. Yukimura yelled out in surprise and out of reflex, lashed out a clenched fist straight at the person's face. Sarutobi Sasuke who was quick on his nimble feet, merely sidestepped around his superior and watched in amusement as the young man staggered a few steps in order to maintain his balance before he eventually whirled around to face the ninja and pin him with a questioning look. Upon being startled in such a manner, Yukimura had now seemed to have shaken off the strange look on his face, however…

Sasuke furrowed his brows in thought.

His superior's posture said otherwise.

_Shoulders slightly hunched, hands hanging uselessly by his sides, fingers twitching every now and then…_

Sasuke glanced up.

_And those eyes._

He followed Yukimura's gaze and found that it was uncannily fixed solely upon the One-Eyed Dragon, those eyes following his every movement and paying no need to the frequent flickers of light which had bounced across his face by the Lord of Oshu's swift arching sweeps through the air with his katana. Sasuke was fully aware of the fact that Yukimura was entranced by Date Masamune yet…somehow…

"Uh, Master?"

Like before, the Young Cub of Kai made no response. Better yet, it almost seemed as if he didn't even realise that Sasuke was standing right beside him. He just stood there with his face turned towards to the man who was training outside and **stared**, his facial muscles tense with…_something_. Sasuke couldn't pinpoint what it was. Before he could delve further, Yukimura suddenly straightened his back and promptly turned on his heel.

"Mast-"

Yukimura's swift footsteps echoed around the corner. Only this time, instead of the usual enthusiastic spring in his step, his superior was walking in a state of unexpected urgency – which merely caused the ninja to raise his brow in bewilderment.

_Just what…?_

It was suddenly silent, save for the gentle breeze which drifted through the courtyard, and Sasuke glanced over to Date Masamune who had suddenly stopped the upward sweeping motion of his katana. After a few seconds of holding that pose, Masamune soon lowered his blade and after a short pause…

"Tch."

He clicked his tongue and forcefully sheathed his sword.

Sensing his cue, Sasuke had wisely chose that moment to disappear before the young lord could see him as he stormed across the courtyard with an indiscernible look upon his face.

* * *

**A/N:** And I shall stop there for now. Do drop in a review, it'd be most appreciated, well loved and treated like gold as the next update will be just around the corner! That is, if I enough musou/energy/magicpowder to rev me up and get me going. ^^;;


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Part two is now up. Although part three has already been completed, I won't release it once I finish writing part four – which will hopefully be the final segment to wrap up the supposed 'one-shot'. In this segment, I've decided to be daring with the interaction between Kojuro and Yukimura. Upon writing this segment, I was so close to teetering off and spinning this story into a KojuYuki. Why? I just find Kojuro and Yukimura so sexy together. I don't know what the possibilities are or the mechanics that needed to create the dynamism between them but damn, I just find them so good-looking together. Like seriously. Okay. Enough ramble. DateSana is the pair here. Focus.

Oh yes, I'm not sure if you realised this but I really liked the way SB was dubbed. So that explains why there no "Oyaaaakataa-samaaa", "Danna", "(insert name)-dono" etc. Forgive me if it sounds strange or if it's not to your liking, I just like JYB's dub work for Yukimura. He is just smex to my ears. Especially the way he rolls Yukimura's name around with his tongue. It is just UNF. (/)

**Summary:** [AU] Really, if Yukimura hadn't looked at that time, he wouldn't be experiencing this strange burning in his chest. He wouldn't have found his eyes straying a little too much. And he certainly wouldn't find himself in this surreal situation where his nails were digging into Date Masamune's back. [DateSana]

**Warnings:** Slight OOC perhaps (not too sure if I fully captured their characters). Shonen-ai. A first attempt at writing a relatively mild R18 scene. Yikes.

**Disclaimer:** Sengoku Basara solely belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and the genius minds of those who had worked together to create such a fabulous piece of work. I merely pinched some of the characters to play with.

* * *

**A d o l e s c e n c e**

**a** **D**at**e****x****S**a**n**a st**or**y

By **s****u I k a's** **w I n d** o _f_ t h e **c e l e s t I a l**

**

* * *

**

"Master…Katakura?" Yukimura was surprised to find the One-Eyed Dragon's retainer standing alone by the gates of the Takeda residence with his horse, a displeased look was upon his face. Setting his spears to the side, he hopped off the veranda and quickly rushed over towards the older man whose eyes, in spite of the frown that had adorned his face, softened a little. "Master Katakura! Forgive me sir, but may I implore to ask you of what purpose does my Master serve to make you travel all the way to Kai without prior notice? My Lord is in Echigo at the moment and I have been left to keep house. Had I been informed of your visit, I would have my men make haste to conduct the necessary preparations to humbly welcome you, sir. Please, allow me to get your horse and–"

"Worry not Sanada, I won't be staying very long."

"B-But sir! I cannot accept that! You have travelled a great distance from Oshu! Surely you must come in and have a rest-!"

"I've come to relay a message from Lord Masamune."

Yukimura, upon hearing the name of the man he had been trying his hardest to avoid for the past month – including the likeliness of an encounter on the battlefield (where he had stubbornly decided to go and attack the enemy from a route which did not cross paths with the One-Eyed Dragon, much to the surprise of his beloved Lord) – came to a halt, his hands which had been reaching for the Kojuro's horse paused in mid-air.

"This message is for you, Sanada. Lord Masamune has asked me to personally deliver this message to you."

Yukimura swallowed back the unpleasant burn of bile in his throat and his hands dropped to his sides.

Again.

There was that exasperating, suffocating, _alien_ pressure building up from within his chest as, almost instantaneously, the same images of flickered through his mind. Yukimura just had to fight back the urge to slam his fist against his chest, as if such an act would be able to dislodge that _something_ which had been making his breathing a very difficult task to do whenever the name Date Masamune was involved. "From…Lord Masamune…?" he managed to choke out as he strained his ears in favour of listening to the words of Date's Right Eye instead of the irritating and ridiculously loud pounding of his heart. "What…what is it?"

If Kojuro noticed the dramatic change in Yukimura's behavior, he simply paid it no heed to it. "My lord invites you to Oshu-"

"I refuse."

"My lord _insists_ that you come."

"It is an invitation, Master Katakura, not an obligation. And although I am but a humble soldier who is deeply honoured for being regarded with such esteem by your lord, I'm afraid I have to turn down his generous offer."

Another image flickered through his mind and Yukimura was beginning to find it increasingly difficult to breathe normally. Again. The enactments of the episode which started it all – – was playing ever so vividly in his memory, like those erotic picture books he had often seen his men quietly fuss around.

Kojuro pinched his brows together, taken aback by Yukimura's unfamiliar dismissive manner. _So it's true._ In spite of this, he remained faithful to his lord's orders and decided to push on. "Lord Masamune will not entertain with this childishness of yours, Sanada. And as his Right Eye, neither shall I."

Yukimura glared. "Childishness? Master Katakura, I beseech to you to take back the wickedness of such words for I bear no ill-intent which heavily leans to such a tasteless character! On what grounds do you charge me on such bold accusations!"

"Speaking upon the behalf of my lord, your recent cowardly antics have proved to be unbefitting of the warrior that was once known as Shingen's Young Cub! Such conduct displeases Lord Masamune!"

"C-Cowardly! H-How _dare_ you!"

That did it.

Katakura Kojuro may be a man by which Yukimura holds a large degree of admiration to because of his intelligence, his strength as well as the fact that the man himself was kind enough to look after him and point out the faults that the young man was unable to see in order to correct them, however to taint the name of Kai as well as his pride as a warrior who has been taken under the wing of his great teacher, Lord Takeda Shingen with such saucy words…

Yukimura seized his spears and fell into his signature battle stance, his eyes blazing with anger at Date Masamune's retainer who simply looked on, unruffled.

It was _unforgiveable_.

"Master Katakura! I do not wish to strike arms with you. But due to the audacious nature of the insult which you have struck upon me, I beseech to you good sir, to make haste and leave the vicinity at once before I strike you down!"

There was stubborn frown on Kojuro's face as he took a few steps forward and poised his left hand over the blades which hung by his side. Yukimura, on the other hand, tightened his grip around the grip of his spears and gritted his teeth. Against the glowing rays of the setting sun, Kojuro quietly took up his battle stance and pinned him with a determined look.

Yukimura's eyes widened in shock and the strength behind his spears faltered a little.

_That look._

_That piercing look._

_It was just like his._

Once again, his throat was being constricted. Those invisible fingers pressing down ever so harshly around his neck. It was getting harder to breathe. And his heart…it can't stop pounding. It just can't stop pounding faster and faster and faster…

"Master Katakura!" Yukimura had managed to croak out, almost desperately. "I beg you, please _leave_!"

There was a telltale clink of metal and soon a katana was slowly drawn from the safe confines of its sheath.

"The words of my Lord are absolute and I, bound by the binding duty which has been bestowed upon the one who serves as his Right Eye, shall not leave Kai until you have agreed to take up my Lord's invitation! And if I am to die to fulfill this duty, then so be it!" Kojuro exclaimed.

-whitehotsearingpleasure**gasp**painecstasy**sigh**-

Yukimura slammed his spears together and after releasing a fierce battle cry which had dispersed up into the dusky sky, he charged forward. Kojuro took up his sword, the blade gleaming dangerously in the dim light. Tightening his grip, Yukimura blindly swung his spears at the other man, each dangerous sweep of the blades becoming more erratic and reckless than the last.

Upon noticing this, Kojuro scowled. Although he knew that he had no right to meddle into his lord's private affairs, he could not find himself to be idle and simply turn a blind eye upon this particular situation. Especially since Yukimura's abrupt alienation was beginning to affect Masamune, even at the slightest. _Forgive me, Boss Masamune. _Upon blocking Yukimura's hasty and careless onslaught of spears, he locked the blades and forcefully brought them to the ground. Yukimura panicked at this and began to fiercely struggle against the dead weight by which Kojuro had forced on his weapons.

"Sanada."

Yukimura didn't respond. He didn't look up to acknowledge him. Instead he was busying himself with trying his hardest to pull out of Kojuro's unyielding grip. He jerked and yanked the spears with force, cursing under his breath.

Kojuro, unsatisfied with this, applied even more pressure and leaned a little closer to the young general. "Sanada," he tried again in hopes of drawing the young man's attention.

Still, Yukimura did not listen and he seemed even more desperate in his attempt of freeing his spears.

"Tch," Irked, Kojuro reached over with his free hand and seized Yukimura's collar, forcing their gazes to meet. "SANADA! LOOK AT ME!"

-**gasp**stopstop**stop**-

Kojuro's eyes widened in surprise and Yukimura, upon registering the look, tore away from his clasp.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

In a sudden burst of newfound energy, he viciously yanked his weapons from where it had been wedged under Kojuro's sword and stumbled back a few paces, placing a good distance between them. Raising his spears once again, he bared his teeth at the man before he fell back into his initial stance and paused, breathing raggedly. There was a wild look about his eyes, a stormy array of emotions which fell between confusion and so much, _so much_ pent up frustration. Kojuro took up his blade once again, his eyebrows pinched together in bewilderment. "What is with that crazed look upon your face, Sanada? Forgive me for my boldness for prying into such undisclosed affairs, but this matter between you and Lord Masamune has to-!"

Yukimura snapped. Without warning, he suddenly lunged forward with his spears held up with such precision, the blades aiming straight for Kojuro's unguarded throat without restraint. Kojuro, startled by Yukimura's speed, was only able to raise his blade to thwart the path of one deadly stab and he waited in bated breath for the sharp piercing of skin which he had long been accustomed to as well as the all too familiar stench of blood. Well now. It really was a mistake to take Shingen's Young Cub lightly. Perhaps Lord Masamune was right, he really was becoming soft…

"Hold it!"

There was a surprised look.

A clang of metal against metal.

Sarutobi Sasuke, in all his enigmatic glory, had suddenly appeared between the men and with that outstanding inhuman strength which was hidden in his lithe body, held Yukimura's attack back with his own short sword.

"Takeda's ninja?"

"Sasuke! Wh-what–!"

"Sorry for dropping in so suddenly but the battle's over. Master, please withdraw your weapons, my arm is going to break."

"This has nothing to do with you, Sasuke! Stand down or I shall–!"

"I bring word from Echigo. Lord Takeda has assigned a duty for you, Master."

Upon hearing the name of his lord, Yukimura falters and almost drops his weapons, his ears perking up in interest. "His Lordship?"

Sasuke nods and slowly directs the young general to lower his spears with a dexterous flick of his wrist. Kojuro almost sighed with relief and he looked on to the ninja with newfound respect, lowering his own blade. However…

Kojuro narrowed his eyes.

Sarutobi Sasuke's shoulders, though neatly concealed by his attire, were unmistakably tense.

_Could he have…_

"Master, Lord Takeda asks if you are capable to carry out his request tonight."

Yukimura looked aghast by the imposition of such a question and he straightened his back. There was a determined look set upon his face. "Of course! By his word, I, Sanada Genjiro Yukimura, with all the fire in my heart and the will of my undying spirit shall dutifully carry out whatever my lord wishes me to do! Be it at the crack of dawn or even in the darkness of the night, time is not an inconvenience for me as my lord's word is forever absolute! What task has His Lordship assigned for me to do?"

"Judging for the amount of work you've been doing so far Master, His Lordship has made the benevolent and wise decision of annulling you of your current duties." There was sputter of incoherent words on Yukimura's part but Sasuke merely carried on. "He advises you to you go to Oshu, to take a short break there in this rare moment of peace. After all, Oshu is known for the beauty of its greenery. Lord Takeda suggests that a change of scenery is needed because…well, you really need to cool down, Master."

Yukimura had paled considerably. "B-But Sasuke! Surely–there must be-! I do not need-!"

"Orders are absolute, Master. You said so yourself. Now, I suggest you to get ready and not keep Date's Right Eye waiting. It's best that you leave together as going alone at night will only make you an easy target for prowling enemies. I don't think the commander will be happy if news of your recklessness reaches him."

Yukimura looked torn. He wanted to protest but seeing the graveness on Sasuke's face and the inconceivable thought of disobeying his lord's orders made him think otherwise. After a moment of deep thinking, he finally gave in to the wise words of his trusted ninja with a reluctant nod. Casting an apologetic bow to Kojuro, ears burning red with shame for his misconduct, he quickly picked up his spears and made haste to prepare for the trip to Oshu.

Once the young general was out of sight, Kojuro turned to Sasuke who had reached up to scratch his cheek after releasing a long weary sigh. "How much have you listened, ninja?" he quietly demanded as he sheathed his sword.

There was a small upturn of lips. "More than enough. I see you've got problems on your side as well."

"Hmph. I presume you know the root of it."

The ninja simply grinned. "It's the spring that you sour old men can't ever experience again."

Kojuro could not help but smirk. "A spring that most of you wayward youths can't stop to appreciate."

"Huh. You got that right."

* * *

**A/N:** The next part is where we really get down to business. Now, what shall become of the long-awaited meeting between Yukimura and Masamune?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** At last, we've reached the long awaited part three (and possibly the whole point of this story anyway) – the smut. I apologise beforehand if it sucks, this is after all my first R18 fic so please don't expect too much. And because the central theme of this story is about all about adolescence or at least the sexual maturity and transition into adulthood of both Masamune and Yukimura (hence the title), please do not expect them to throw themselves at one another. Men don't give their entire selves up to each other let alone be mushy with one another at first sight. ^^

Funny thing is, when writing this segment, the boyfriend seemed to be well aware that I was struggling with this part (seeing how, like many fujoshis, we reeeally don't know how the male body actually works) and with a bright smile, he offered to help me. I was horrified. Well, perhaps a little astonished that this guy seemed so keen to help me out. I turned down his offer. Nevertheless, he decided to press on and told me a thing or two, in spite of my protesting. He really is strange and precious.

**Summary:** [AU] Really, if Yukimura hadn't looked at that time, he wouldn't be experiencing this strange burning in his chest. He wouldn't have found his eyes straying a little too much. And he certainly wouldn't find himself in this surreal situation where his nails were digging into Date Masamune's back. [DateSana]

**Warnings:** Slight OOC perhaps (not too sure if I fully captured their characters). Shonen-ai. A first attempt at writing a relatively mild R18 scene. Yikes.

**Disclaimer:** Sengoku Basara solely belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and the genius minds of those who had worked together to create such a fabulous piece of work. I merely pinched some of the characters to play with.

* * *

**A d o l e s c e n c e**

**a** **D**at**e****x****S**a**n**a st**or**y

By **s****u I k a's** **w I n d** o _f_ t h e **c e l e s t I a l**

* * *

Date Masamune was not happy. No, scratch that.

He was downright **pissed.**

The young lord of Oshu had been delighted when news of Kojuro's arrival with Sanada Yukimura had reached him. He had thrown aside his training garments and pulled on a neatly pressed yukata which had been laid out by the maids with much vigour before quickly making his way through the house to greet his guests and enjoy the first party that was being held in his house since the arrival of Spring. Yet…

Above all the music and the contagious liveliness that circulated around, Sanada Yukimura had decided to avoid him all throughout the night and after devoting himself to different remote areas of the house whenever Masamune tried to invade his personal space…

"_Shit!_"

They were now in the private chambers.

After patiently putting up with the ceaseless, irritating, exasperating _burning _feeling which had been embedded within his chest for the entire night ever since he had set his eyes upon the familiar form of Takeda's Cub, Masamune slammed his fist against the space beside Yukimura's head (which had been strangely missing its customary _hachimaki_ since the young man had been strongly persuaded to change out of his battle gear and into a more comfortable yukata by his servants) and with his other hand clutched the other's throat in a tight grip as he forced the young general to face him.

Yukimura on the other hand simply glared, his eyes glowing dangerously in the dark as his own hands had thrust forward and grabbed at the material of Masamune's yukata in order to hold the One Eyed Dragon back the moment he had lunged at him.

"Cut the crap Yukimura!" Masamune hissed, "What the hell is wrong with you!"

"Forgive me Lord Masamune but I know not the intent by which you have placed behind your words! There is nothing – ugh! "

Masamune's gripped tightened around Yukimura's throat, causing the other to release a small gasp of pain which caused the young lord to suddenly freeze. Masamune furrowed his brows and his jaw tightened. Shit. Again. That peculiar shudder. That exhilarating, spine-tingling shudder which made his movements falter, his thoughts to teeter and come to a crashing halt and made his body feel just so bloody _alien_. Again. That blood-rushing, adrenalin-pumping, mind-fucking shudder went down his spine **again**. "Tch! Don't fuck with me! You…what have you done!"

"Wh-what…"

"_SHUT UP!_" Yukimura's eyes widened when Masamune suddenly stepped in and closed the already scarce proximity between them. Seeing the flash of panic that flickered behind the other's defiant display, Masamune had decided to seize this opportunity to move his hand from the wall and thrust it against that one spot on Yukimura's chest where his heart was – pounding so loudly – and bunched the yukata in his grip. He leaned in closer, eye glaring down into those glowing ones and as he opened his mouth to speak, it suddenly struck. Just like it had that first time when he first realised it. Just like it had during the last impromptu training session a month ago. Just like it always had whenever they were close to each other. Just like now.

That smell.

"L-Lord Masamu-!"

"Just what are you playing at Sanada Yukimura?" the young lord spat bitterly, "Did that ninja set you up with something to take me out? Has Old Man Takeda finally realized the power of the Date? Eh? You guys opting to settle for it all for a _last party _by only sending you? Ha! How-!"

Masamune stopped, blinking in bewilderment when Yukimura had suddenly seized his wrist when it had unintentionally shifted to the side and accidentally pulled the garment along with it. Again, he moved his hand a little and like before, Yukimura's fingers had firmly clasped around his wrist and stopped his movement. Automatically, his gaze dropped down to the stretch of exposed skin there, to the sun-kissed hue of that lean yet uncannily delicious-looking collarbone that hid behind his six-coins…

Beneath his hand, Yukimura's heart was beating faster than before. Masamune looked up.

And Yukimura narrowed his eyes. The further tightening of his grip around Masamune's wrist was all that the One Eyed Dragon needed to know.

Throwing Yukimura's arm out of the way and shoving his palm against the base of Yukimura's jaw in order to force his head to the side, Masamune then pried the collar of his yukata open and dived in to press his face against the smooth expanse of the other's throat. Yukimura cried out in surprise and his body suddenly exploded into a violent fit as he tried to fight the man off him but Masamune gave no mind to this. In fact, he had decided not pay heed to anything else apart from the blatant fact that the smell was _there._ Right there, along the smooth column of Yukimura's neck, the smell was there. That smell – that alluring trace of cool muskiness which had been driving him crazy, making his blood pump faster, his heart to pound so loudly in his ears, causing that course of excitement to run down his body – it was fucking **there**.

"Damn it!"

Without a second thought, Masamune boldly pressed his body against Yukimura's and bit that one section of his throat where the smell was so strong. Yukimura gasped – that unusual_ arousing_ noise had triggered _something_ in Masamune and he couldn't help but sink his teeth a little bit deeper –

"Urk!"

Masamune released the skin and hissed, biting back a curse as he felt the sudden jolt of pain against his gut where Yukimura had suddenly struck at with a clenched fist. Meeting each other's gazes, they both glared.

There was a pregnant pause.

And then…

Yukimura shoved.

Masamune pulled.

It was like being swept into a graceless uncoordinated dance. There was awkward scuffling and a few curses muttered here and there as they edged away from the wall and wrestled around each other's limbs, fighting for control over the other. However, upon being the far more ambitious one, Masamune had seized a golden opportunity when he found it (a split second pause was all he needed) in order to haul Yukimura down to the floor with force and pin him against the ground.

Outraged by his current position, Yukimura cursed as he reached up and grabbed Masamune's yukata, opening his mouth to address his utmost displeasure when –

"Ah!"

His body stilled and Yukimura could not help but shudder, tugging the young lord's garment harshly when Masamune had accidentally slipped his leg between his own the moment he had sidled a little closer. The One Eyed Dragon stopped. There was a slight pensive look upon his face before he finally glanced down to the stiffness of the growing erection there.

"…"

"…"

Beyond the doors, the faint chortles of laughter rang through the corridors. The party seemed to be at full swing at that hour, with dancing and clapping and ecstatic whoops echoing all throughout the house. There was the occasional thudding of footsteps down the corridors, but that was probably the maids rushing back and forth to pick up refills of food and drinks from the kitchens. Within the vicinity of Masamune's chamber, there was silence. The small oil lamp flickered in the corner of the room, casting shadows throughout the room as well as across the tantalizing planes of skin which peeked from beneath the open folds of their yukatas. Furrowing his brows upon the sudden strange swell of desire and intrigue which had blossomed within him, Masamune had decided to close in a tad bit more until he could feel the familiar yet strangely alien shape of Yukimura's sex underneath his fudonshi flushed against his thigh.

Yukimura had barely managed to stifle his gasp as he swallowed back a cry the moment his body had suddenly jolted in response to Masamune's sudden action. Sensing the dangerousness of the situation, he pushed the other when Masamune leaned in and pressed his face against his neck once again. "Lord Masamune, don't–!"

"Sanada Yukimura."

The Young Cub of Kai pressed his lips into a thin line as he felt the young lord's breath ghost across his skin; his facial muscles straining as he tried to hide the look of embarrassment upon his face with a solemn look. His efforts were in vain however, as the building pressure had caused him to tremble when he felt Masamune's hand trail down his body and his fingers latched on the belt of his yukata, loosening it.

"Sanada Yukimura," Masamune huskily called out once again. And Yukimura threw his head back and gasped out loud when he felt Masamune's fingers slowly trace over his abdomen, intrigued by the curves of the muscles shaped there.

Seeing his rival slowly crumble away from the image of a gifted warrior who held such blazing spirit and unwavering determination to this awkward young man who had been swept away by waves of desire…rather than making him sneer and laugh with contempt, it made his pulse race. The sight of Yukimura laid out beneath him with those glassy eyes and that flushed face still glowering at him…

"_Shit…_Sanada Yukimura."

The yukata was parted and Yukimura choked out a guttural sound, gritting his teeth as Masamune's hand teasingly caressed the shape of his aching erection, his hot breath travelling across his neck as a few tantalizing kisses, nips and licks where left in its wake. Caught amidst the headiness which had fogged over his senses, Yukimura shoved Masamune's garment off his shoulders which revealed the beautiful broadness of those strong shoulders and the fading battle scars which littered across his body. The buildup of sweat upon Masamune's skin gave it an exquisite glow, inciting that electrifying spark of arousal which he had been trying to dismiss all this time.

Lifting his face from the warmth of Yukimura's neck, Masamune set his gaze upon the man beneath him. Yukimura was staring up at him with his eyebrows pinched together in hesitance. There was a pause. And then, setting his jaw in rash decisiveness, he finally reached up, grabbed his hair and hauled him into an awkward, teeth-bumping kiss.

If either of them had any sense of rationality that was anchoring them to reality, it had now snapped.

The moment Yukimura had connected their lips, Masamune felt betrayed. His thoughts had wandered back to his years of his training, where the gratifying sensation of his swords slicing through the air and that spine-tingling ring of metal against metal was the best thing he had ever experienced. A challenging spar and the heat of battle was all he needed to ignite and quench his desires. But this…

Masamune shifted his body weight and drove his hips against Yukimura's, coaxing that small gasp which sent him spiraling across that intangible point of no return. That unbelievable rush of warm _moist_ air, that rough yet smooth manner of lips moulding against lips, the feverish heat that captured their bodies as all sort of sensations were taking over…

This feeling…it was just _out of this world_.

Yukimura's hands were splayed across his back; the pressure of his nails digging into his skin was growing with each passing moment as Masamune teased the seams of his lips with his tongue, his own fingers creeping beneath the fudonshi.

A foul curse was breathlessly whispered against the corner of his mouth and Masamune could not help but chuckle in amusement over the small fancy thought that he now held some degree of power over Yukimura (who was doing his best to remain composed) as he gingerly touched Yukimura's erection and pulled the fudonshi aside.

Startled by the sudden rush of cool air, Yukimura tore his lips away from the other. "W-wait!"

It was too late. Following Masamune's gaze, he couldn't help but glance down at his exposed sex and blushed when he realised just how openly Masamune stared at it with such fascination. It was not long before those curious fingers had started to map out the contours of the hot member, prodding the dewed tip experimentally every now and then. Yukimura hissed, his back curled with pleasure as Masamune had decided to become more adventurous as he clasped Yukimura more firmly in his hand.

"Lord Masamune…!" the young general gasped as he squirmed a little in discomfort. "Don't…please don't touch that…it's shameful…"

Shrugging off the rest of his yukata from his body, Masamune shifted his body again so he could work the erection more efficiently, his lips ghosting up Yukimura's nape before he flickered his tongue over the shell of his ear.

"Yukimura."

He felt the other twitch in response, that tiny hitch of his breathing had sent an electrifying zing of excitement down his spine…as well as the growing overbearing tightness in the pit of his stomach. "_Fuck._" Unable to hold himself back, Masamune reached up and roughly took one of Yukimura's hands, untangling it from his hair before he directed it to his own erected sex. "Here. Touch mine."

Yukimura regarded him with a dazed look. "Eh…?" When Masamune nudged the tip of his member against the palm of his hand, Yukimura's eyes widened and the evident blush across his face had flourished with such vividness. "But Lord Masamune, with this hand surely it will taint – I-I simply **cannot** –!"

"Just fucking do it," he hissed.

Bewildered, Yukimura simply did as he was told to do. He hesitantly reached forward, wrapped his fingers around the pulsating flesh and squeezed. Masamune choked, his own fingers stilling from their ministrations as he managed to stop himself from falling over Yukimura. Although he had anticipated it, he was not able to shake off the waves of shock which had crashed over his senses from the contact. The thrill of being touched by a hand that was not his own – so warm, so clammy, so calloused and so _real_ – god damn it, it felt so good. Why hadn't Kojuro exposed him to this hidden nirvana of immense pleasure sooner? That persnickety bastard. Who the hell did he think he was to deny him of such–!

"Does it hurt?" There was hint of uneasiness laced with those words.

"Tch." With his unoccupied hand, Masamune yanked Yukimura's string necklace and drew him close enough to press his face against his neck once again, drunkenly taking in the cool muskiness that was buried there.

Somewhat encouraged by this, Yukimura mustered up a little courage and he started to caress the young lord. Bearing a pair of strong rough hands with had been honed to perfection with the art of spear fighting, it really was difficult to believe that there was actually an ounce of tenderness being held behind the vigilance that Yukimura was displaying in his actions. Though as graceless as he may be, he did his best to be as accommodating as he possibly could to Masamune.

The One-Eyed Dragon on the other hand was breathing heavily. His mind teetering from the intoxication which had been generated from the overwhelming onslaught of the scorching heat that was pulsing through his very being. He gritted his teeth. It was weird. The thought of Yukimura being less reckless and actually _careful _for once was weird. The animated voices echoing a little too loudly beyond the doors – _too close, too close, they're gonna open the door soon aren't they? _– was weird. Their stifled gasps and grunts which bounced off and raced alongside the shadows which played across the walls were weird. There was an unbelievable tightening of a _something_ somewhere in his body and that was weird.

Heck, even Yukimura's goddamn curious hand that was now travelling up and down his cock, the tips of his fingers tracing him over with quick strokes that were beginning to be spurred on by a sudden state of urgency which was dangerously-

"Damn it."

"Lord Masamune-?" Yukimura was startled when the young lord had suddenly dragged his hand away, ceasing his actions. Masamune was silent, breathing heavily against his neck as he squeezed his wrist with an air of finality. _He doesn't like it…? _A feeling of distress welled up within Yukimura. "I…I…please forgive me for my incompetence my lord…I do not…I-I-"

"Shut up."

Yukimura felt his arm being dragged upwards and pinned above him. Astonished, he stared up at the man who gazed so heatedly down at him with his one eye, mesmerized by the way that broad chest heaved with every ragged breath, the way those old battles scars which rooted across his shoulder and down his back gleamed under the glossy sheen of sweat in the dimness of the room, the way his shaggy hair fell about his solemn face and gave him that mysterious yet distinctive Date-esque quality about him. His heart throbbed at the sight and he couldn't help but rake his fingers through the man's hair before trailing them across one of the large scars on his shoulder. It never occurred to him how good-looking Masamune really was.

The Lord of Oshu's eye narrowed, his lips pursing tautly. And then, drawing his hand from Yukimura's sex, he spat a good amount saliva in it and wrapped it around both of their members.

Upon the sudden contact of their stiff erections and the hot, wet grip Masamune had fastened around them, Yukimura could not help but whimper, his back curling convulsively from the indescribable pleasure he was receiving from such a course of action and he turned his face away, releasing a shuddering breath against his arm. Masamune growled above him. Apparently that wasn't even the pinnacle of what was to come. Slowly the man's hand stroked, those long fingers experimentally tightened and unclenched as he played with the pressure he enveloped around their sexes, drawing out sharp hisses from them both as he gradually started to quicken the pace. Yukimura curled his fingers into Masamune's back, the pressure of his nails slowly piercing the skin as his body trembled, his mouth desperately gasping for air.

_The atmosphere…_

A dexterous flick of slickened fingers was made.

And Yukimura cried out, his nails scraping down across Masamune's back, drawing blood.

_It's just too much._

His body was getting hotter, his senses going wild. It didn't help that Masamune's hand was becoming more erratic in its movements after he spat another sizable amount of saliva into his hand and picked up the pace, working to reach that intangible point – _of what? – _and release that surreal coil of tension embedded deep within him which was quickly tearing him apart. He tried to keep his eyes opened, tried to not focus on the way the man's intense eye was fixed solely onto him, tried to ignore the wet sloppy sounds and the incredible slickness of that wickedly moist hand…

His eyes widened in horror and Yukimura struggled to sit up, his nails biting into the other's shoulder harshly as his legs twitched frenziedly. "Lord Masamune, wait-s-stop!"

Masamune lunged forward and pressed his face against Yukimura's neck once again, drinking in the sweet intoxicating scent of musk and sweat as he licked, bit and panted against the skin harshly, his hand stroking their stiff erections in an abandoned sense of hastiness in order to reach that certain point of-

Yukimura snapped his head back, his eyes squeezed shut as he bit down on his bottom lip and Masamune shuddered violently, gasping against the young general's throat as a hot sticky wetness splattered between them.

A boisterous cheer resounded through the house and it was not long before Date's men had begun thump their feet and clap their hands as they sang in unison to one of the many songs that was well-known and commonly sung by many soldiers. Yukimura, through the haze that was clouding over his senses, was only able to register a few garbled words as his once-tensed body had now slackened and upon giving in to the weight of Masamune's body that was pressed against him, had laid back against the floor, his hand slipping from the other's back before it landed by his side with a dull thump. With a disgruntled grunt, Masamune slowly pulled himself from the comfortable warmth that was strangely emitting from Yukimura and he shifted to the side before he lay himself down beside Yukimura, their arms touching.

After a moment, Masamune finally glanced over.

So did Yukimura.

And they simply laid there and gazed at each other.

In the corner of the room, the oil lamp flickered, the flame dwindling upon the wick as it cast a gentle warmth around the young men who basked in the after-glow, breathing heavily.

* * *

After what seemed to the umpteenth round of drinks that night, Kojuro finally stood up and excused himself (it was more like he had to pry himself away from the many arms of his intoxicated men), swiftly exiting the room. The lively atmosphere was closed off the moment he slid the door shut behind him. He released a small sigh and swept his hair back away from his face before he made his way down the corridor, adjusting the belt of his yukata. All that drinking was beginning to make him feel a little light-headed. The thought of a quick whiff of fresh air outside seemed to be most inviting at this moment. Yes, the cool spring breeze will surely clear his mind.

He passed by a few maids who bustled pass him in a succession of practiced quick steps, their slender arms carrying trays full of Oshu's finest delicacy and drinks, their faces flushed pink from the ceaseless rounds back and forth from the cookhouse and the dining hall, their heads low and bobbing in respect as he walked past. The slight buzz was making him giddy and he couldn't help chuckle to himself as he recalled the men's rowdy antics as they gaily laughed and sang songs of the soldier's crude humour together.

A content sigh.

Another chuckle.

It was a nice change of pace for the soldiers and Kojuro could not help but think highly of his young liege. "Speaking of which, where is that boy? I hope he's not out shedding blood with Sanada." But that seemed likely. The boy was young, thriving with gumption to achieve whatever that was once thought as unattainable. He was a recklessly confident and brash, always rolling into unwanted trouble but that was his redeeming streak. It was good that Masamune had a companion of equal standing to him. Sanada is a good boy. An extremely polite one. It was amusing how he and his lord got along very well with one another, in spite of the fact that their personalities were on the polar ends of the spectrum. Now where was his pipe? A good smoke to settle his appetite down seemed wonderfully ideal right now. Kojuro turned around the corner and walked a few good metres before he eventually reached his room and slid the door open.

"Now where did I put-"

Kojuro halted in midstep, the small smile upon his lips trembled. Slowly, he blinked into the darkness, his fingers twitching with uncertainty against the door frame and – yes, his lord really was there, sans yukata and lying on the floor of his room, his eye transfixed on the face of a sleeping Sanada Yukimura.

Sleeping?

A knowing look soon dawned upon the Right Eye's face.

_Ah. _

Shaking out of his stupor, Kojuro gave his lord a discreet apologetic bow and decided to slide the door close to give the men their well-needed privacy when-

"Kojuro."

He paused but he remained where he was, behind the door. "Yes Masamune-sama?"

The room was silent, save for the slow, rhythmic breathing of Shingen's Cub and the rustling of a yukata being languidly pulled on.

"Come in."

"…as you wish, my Lord."

* * *

**A/N:** For those of you who don't know, a _hachimaki_ is basically the red band Yukimura wears around his head. Part four is coming along but for some reason, the chances of this story ending as a one-shot is iffy. The course that part four is taking seems to be open-ended that there is a possible for this 'oneshot' is spawn off into a multi-chap and an actual story. What shall I do? More importantly, what is going to happen after this? Questions, questions.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thank you for your reviews! It really makes me happy to read them over and over during the times I do get stuck with writing. And also thank you for those who have stopped by to read this story! I hope you're all enjoying it so far! ^^ This segment probably features one of my favourite scenes in the story. Masamune may be a spoiled little brat who does what he wants and when he wants without thinking of the consequences, but I believe he's a really insecure person when Kojuro isn't around as his guiding star. And so, in this chapter, I hope to bring out the strange parent-child relationship that Masamune and Kojuro seem to have yet not have.

To my best friend/fiancé Dee, I dedicate this chapter to you since you just love that mother hen of a 'leek mama' yakuza dude (aka Kojuro). Kudos for being the one who has withstood all my non-stop rambling and woeful cries of self-pity. You are a star, you fabulous troll.

Lovely **reviews** are always and will always be welcomed! I'd really like to know what you think about the story and what I need to work on or improve or add on (I'm not exactly the best writer out there, after all ^^;;) so please do drop one! *^^*

**Summary:** [AU] Really, if Yukimura hadn't looked at that time, he wouldn't be experiencing this strange burning in his chest. He wouldn't have found his eyes straying a little too much. And he certainly wouldn't find himself in this surreal situation where his nails were digging into Date Masamune's back. [DateSana]

**Warnings:** Slight OOC perhaps (not too sure if I fully captured their characters). Shonen-ai/BL/Yaoi.

**Disclaimer:** Sengoku Basara solely belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and the genius minds of those who had worked together to create such a fabulous piece of work. I merely pinched some of the characters to play with.

* * *

**A d o l e s c e n c e**

**a** **D**at**e****x****S**a**n**a st**or**y

By **s****u I k a's** **w I n d** o _f_ t h e **c e l e s t I a l**

* * *

When Kojuro entered the room, the first thing he realised was the light yet very obvious pungent smell of sex. Fighting back the number of creases that were beginning to grow on his forehead, he sweeps in a succession of light steps before he sits a few paces before his Lord and the sleeping man, his head lowered in respect.

At first, there was nothing but a lingering silence which filled the room. It wasn't stifling. In fact, for some reason, the atmosphere felt almost it was draped over with an unearthly-like tranquility. Tranquil and Masamune didn't mix. Kojuro didn't know if he should be alarmed or happy by this dubious fusion.

Kojuro looked up at his lord and he found the young man was still staring down at Yukimura's face ever so intently that it really was a wonder that Shingen's Cub didn't jerk awake anytime soon. In fact, it really was a wonder that Yukimura wasn't moving at all (sure he must be utterly spent but he'd imagine Yukimura to be the restless sort of sleeper) – his half-dressed body utterly slack against the floor, his exposed chest that heaved gently was littered with a few splatters of dried semen. Kojuro tried to stop the small grimace from appearing on his face but he only managed to do so half-heartedly as he fought the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in disbelief. Really…the least Masamune could do was cover the young man decently or clean him up a little before he came in. Kojuro sighed mentally. Just what purpose does it serve to have him involved in their private affairs?

"Kojuro."

He straightened his back. "Sir."

"…" Date Masamune, after finally prying his gaze from Yukimura's face, looked up and for the first time in the years since he began his disruptive conquest, gave the older man an anxious look. Kojuro was surprised. The expression Masamune was wearing on his face seemed terribly unbefitting at that moment. After reconciling with Sanada, this surely wasn't the reaction he had been predicting from the other.

What happened?

Kojuro flexed his fingers against the material of his knee, patiently waiting for his lord.

On the other hand, Masamune merely shifted his gaze back to Yukimura's face, his jaw tightened.

Another pause.

And Masamune simply sighed in frustration.

Unable to hold back the anxiety which was gnawing him, Kojuro inclined his head. "Lord Masamune, please forgive me for this shameless display of inexcusable effrontery as I very well am fully aware that it is not in my place to question you and that-"

"Is it okay?"

Kojuro paused, slowly taking in the strange words that his young lord had spoken to him. No, not spoken. Masamune had asked something. He had enquired him for an opinion on something. He was actually seeking some form of consultation. Now that wasn't right. Surely something was amiss here. Getting a good hold of himself before he could accidentally blurt out something offensive, Kojuro decided to wisely tread into the matter with precaution. "Sir?"

Masamune kept watching Yukimura, his eye wholly transfixed on his face, tracing the features as if to really engrave them into his mind. "Is it okay Kojuro?" Again, he said it in that strange tone. Although the repetition didn't seem to reveal much as it had with the first one, Kojuro after piecing it all together with the expertise of the outstanding strategist that he simply was and by tolerating all those hellish years of raising this troublesome young man, finally understood.

_Youth these days._

A small smile surfaced. "It really is up to you, Masamune."

Masamune, who was relieved by the dropping of honorifics, seemed to take this into serious consideration as he furrowed his brows together. A long sigh was released and Masamune, after staring at Yukimura's face for another good minute, cursed quietly as he finally reached over and pulled the man's yukata together to hide their indecency. Not that it mattered anymore but Kojuro greatly appreciated it nevertheless.

"Up to me huh. I guess that sort of makes sense."

Kojuro arched a brow in amusement as he watched the look of doubt which flitted across Masamune's face as he raked his hand through his disheveled hair, once again submerged into deep thought.

After another lengthy pause, Masamune finally clicked his tongue and cast an irritated look at his retainer. "_Shit._ This is weird."

"It is simply the course of life."

"Why him?"

"Perhaps a woman-"

"No, it has to be him."

"Give it time."

"What's going on Kojuro?"

Kojuro quirked his lips into a small smirk. "Your spring has finally started to bloom. Congratulations."

"Fuck off, old man."

Suddenly, Yukimura stirred in his sleep. Masamune was alarmed for a moment but soon relaxed when the young general finally stilled against his side and softly snored. Once again, Masamune was back to watching the other with a great degree of intensiveness and…is that intrigue? Kojuro wondered if he was even aware that he was doing it.

"Sanada Yukimura…" Masamune rolled the name around his tongue. "Tch! The little bastard ain't even much of a looker."

"He's growing."

"What? You saying I ain't?"

"The Takeda clan is known to look after their soldiers well with generous well-balanced meals. I can only speculate that the regular intake of food that Sanada eats parallels to that of a developing tiger. He has grown a little since we've last seen him, hasn't he?"

Masamune narrowed his eye. "What the…tch, fine. I'll eat more." He frowned at Kojuro who, behind the stern mask he customarily wore, looked positively delighted at this. "_Not cool_."

Yukimura stirred for the second time that night and muttered something incoherent in his sleep which made Masamune glance back down at him and snort. "He sleeps like a kid," he shook his head in disbelief. "Ha! So _not cool_."

A comfortable silence soon fell between them.

As Masamune stared down at Yukimura's face, Kojuro cast a quick glance around the room. Everything seemed to be in order, which he took to be a good sign that Masamune's reconciliation with Sanada had gone a lot smoother than expected. Kojuro had feared that Shingen's Cub was going to blow the walls apart, what with his voraciousness and his uncanny ability of wreaking havoc wherever he went. It didn't help that Masamune was attracted to that irrepressible burst of immense power which Sanada had acquired from Takeda Shingen. The oil lamp flickered in the corner of the room. It wouldn't be long until the flame died out.

"Kojuro."

"What is it?"

Masamune kept his eye trained down on the other. "Yukimura…he's my enemy. He's still my enemy and he'll always be, wouldn't he?"

Before Kojuro could read the expression on Masamune's face, the dwindling light from the oil lamp finally diminished and the room was plunged into darkness.

Masamune chuckled. "This is fucked up. This is…fuck, this is just _crazy._ I mean, I could kill him right now. We take pretty boy general out, and that'll be a big blow to Old Man Takeda. Crushing him and seizing Kai…ha! It'd be a piece of cake!"

Kojuro nodded solemnly in agreement. "Removing Sanada will make your route of conquest far easier. With him out of the way, the Takeda army will be thrown into disorder. And with the Tiger of Kai's upcoming battle with Echigo's War God looming near, our plan of ambushing both armies in one go will run even smoothly. And with Kai and Echigo soon out of the way, it wouldn't be long until the rest of Japan is yours, sir."

Delighted by the sudden stroke of luck that was presented to him, Masamune barked with laughter.

There was a rustle of fabric and Kojuro was able to make out the obscure shape of Masamune as he hovered over Yukimura's body. "I could break his neck right now. That's quick, isn't it? The poor bastard probably wouldn't even know what got him."

Kojuro was at a loss, his body frozen in place as he looked on in astonishment. _Was he seriously going to-?_

The One Eyed Dragon slowly leaned forward, his hands tentatively groping through the dark as he tried to grapple the sleeping man's neck.

A soft grunt of discomfort was emitted from Yukimura.

"Gotcha."

And then, nothing happened. It was eerily silent, save for the soft snoring of Yukimura and the laboured breathing of Masamune. After a tense moment, the young lord suddenly got off the sleeping man and rolled over onto his back, releasing a long and terribly weary sigh as he laid beside the man he had almost killed.

"…Boss Masamune?"

"_Shit! Goddamn shit shit shit-!_" came the vehement hisses.

Kojuro was stunned by the sudden outburst.

"Just…just….!" A frustrated sigh. "Dammit Kojuro, what the fuck am I supposed to do?" It wasn't noticeable but there was an alarming tinge of desperateness in his voice. It was painful. And although Kojuro was compelled to give his young liege an answer, _any_ answer just to ease that anxiety away…

"Forgive me, but that decision…it only rests with you, my Lord."

* * *

Really, he shouldn't be making such a big deal of it. He shouldn't even be thinking about it. There was no need to.

Yet, although it truly was none of his concern, Sasuke couldn't help but feel terribly agitated ever since his master had left Kai. Something had been grating on his nerves during the short hours since Yukimura had safely set off on an impromptu journey to Oshu with Date's Right Eye and he had been pacing around the perimeter of the Takeda residence, disrupting the peace with his ceaseless incoherent mumbling. His mind had been concocting too many strange conclusions of just what was going to _happen_ that night, making it–

Sasuke frowned.

What was he saying, he already _knew_ what was going to happen. He just couldn't believe it. It was just-

"-too damn fast."

Yes it was too fast. Too fast for Yukimura. Way too brash for that Date boy. And just _too much_ for the ninja to digest.

A weary sigh was released.

Speaking of which, he still couldn't believe that he had actually left Kai to pursue after his master out of blind rashness. It was a snap decision he was now beginning to regret.

"Brilliant. Just brilliant."

He had been perched on a tree for some time now, his eyes fixed onto that one room where he had seen Yukimura and Date Masamune gracelessly stumble into. The party had long died down, the soldiers already stumbling back to their quarters as the maids rushed back and forth to quickly clear the mess before the sun began to rise. After stretching his legs out before him, Sasuke reclined against the sturdy trunk and pursed his lips in thought, his fingers listlessly toying with one of the many small _shuriken_s he had stashed along. Occasionally he'd glance around to spot any guards who might be patrolling the area in order to hide, but for a good majority of the time he had spent quietly perched on the branch, the ninja had solely fixed his gaze upon that one particular room and just waited.

For what though?

Sasuke wasn't sure.

He just remained where was he was, expecting yet not expecting for something or anything to occur. Say if he really did follow his heart, he would have left the province long ago and head over to Echigo where he would likely be thwarted and attacked by an irritable Kasuga. And as always, he would pester her, just to see that beautiful dust of pink across her cheeks. He would try to get close to her, just to catch a small whiff of her perfume. He would admire the way her body dances in the moonlight, mesmerised by her admirable prowess as a fellow ninja. Yes, that was what he would really feel like doing right now.

Yet…

There were now two _shurikens_ being twirled around his fingers.

He was still here, just lying around mindlessly and patiently waiting for two awkward young men to finish sorting themselves out. It was wrong, just so wrong (for goodness sake, who in the right mind would actually wait around for two men who were 'locked in' a room with each other in the first place?). Clearly there must be something messing with his head then. Sasuke twirled the shurikens faster around his fingers, the projecting blades glinting in the gold-pink rays of the sun. Sunlight? He glanced up to gaze at the horizon where the sun had begun its ascent, its golden rays reaching out and bathing the distant hills. So he's been hanging around in this tree for the entire night…smashing.

"What am I doing here?" he groaned as he lifted the _shurikens_ and dangled them before his face.

"That's something I'd like to know as well."

"Shit." He caught the _shuriken_s before they dropped and quickly tucked them away into his clothes. Seeing that there was no point of fleeing since he had already been clearly spotted (What a blow to his ninja pride. How could he have been so absent-minded?), Sasuke peered over the edge of the branch he was seated upon and was not surprised to see Katakura Kojuro glaring up at him with suspicion. Ah, the ever watchful loyal underling. He smiled good-naturedly. "Hey there, Right-Eye."

"Takeda's ninja." Kojuro acknowledged, his stance hawkish. Sasuke quickly noted that there was no weapon on his person and that there was no trace of sleep upon his weary face. That was odd. _Party too lively for you geezers?_ Amused, he decided to shrug it off and play along.

"Well! You're up early. Are you conducting some sort of physical training under the morning sun? Oh, beautiful sunrise by the way. Oshu certainly is blessed with such exquisiteness–"

"Cut the crap, ninja. Have you decided to finally strike Oshu? Quite a bold move you've made there." The accusation clearly rang in the man's voice.

_Oh dear._ Sasuke scratched his cheek sheepishly. "H-hey, take it easy, Master Katakura. I didn't come here to wage war, okay? It's…uh, how do I say this…it's a little complicated to explain."

"Out with it."

"How do I put this? I think you'd understand my position if you had realised that you had unwittingly sent your own lord off to meet another man. And it's not just some man."

Kojuro seemed to think on this. It was not long until he finally straightened his back and glanced over to the room where his lord and Yukimura were currently dwelling in. "I see."

Sasuke followed his gaze. "I take it that all went well, sir?"

"Yes…you could say that Sanada had managed to _not_ destroy the compound. Their reconciliation slipped by quite peacefully actually. Thank god for that. "

"And the One Eyed Dragon?"

"…he's growing." The pause which Kojuro had taken to grope his mind for the right words was suspicious.

"Huh. I expect he knows what he's doing. And the responsibility he should take." Sasuke dared to say offhandedly as he flashed Date's retainer with another smile when he pinned him with a look.

"I should say the same for your master."

Sasuke's eyes lightened in amusement. "And what would that be?"

Kojuro's lips twitched. "He very well should–"

The door suddenly slid open to reveal both Yukimura and Masamune, neatly wrapped in their respective crinkled yukatas as they took a small, almost cautious step out into the corridor. For a fleeting moment, they turned their eyes to each other, their gazes lingered in that one split second gap before they eventually turned away and walked off in different directions, eerily calm.

The atmosphere had suddenly become uncomfortable.

_Now that can't be good._

Sasuke wisely observed that it was best to leave.

"Please excuse me." Sasuke muttered before he deftly pounced from the tree and left Kojuro behind to entertain his own musings, in order to quickly catch up to the disappearing back of his master.

He frowned.

_So, what now, Yukimura?_

* * *

**A/N:** At first this started off as a simple account of Masamune and Yuki's first sexual encounter and discovering the true extent of their attraction to one another. Now, after typing and reaching this point, this little story is now beginning to spiral off to something bigger. Now readers, what do you think is going to happen to these two? But more importantly, are you interested in having me extend this piece of writing or not? **Do tell.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Firstly, THANK YOU all for the encouraging reviews. It's really nice and helpful to get feedback because I really like reading on your thoughts! They give me the push to try to make the story as enjoyable as possible! I hope my writing caters to you all!

Secondly, I apologise for the wait! I have this terrible habit of taking a good (long) period of time editing and writing because I want to produce something that makes me happy. I really like the English language so I try to utilise it in the best way that I am capable of. Please forgive me my writing sounds a bit strange - English isn't my mother tongue, sadly. Nor is Japanese (though it's starting to creep up to be so very soon – lol!)

Anyway, it is now part five. We have seen exchanges between all the characters I have introduced so far: Yukimura with Masamune, Yukimura with Sasuke, Yukimura with Kojuro, Kojuro and Masamune and then finally, Sasuke with Kojuro. And now, I have decided to usher in our beloved Shingen-Papa! Similar to Masamune's case, Yukimura literally swears by the guidance that Shingen has laid out for him and he would likely be wandering like an abandoned puppy if Shingen wasn't around. Whilst Kojuro treats Masamune like one of his prized vegetables, Shingen is just downright strange. Although I find Shingen and Yukimura's relationship amusing and just awesome in the anime/game, I actually found it disturbing whilst writing this segment because I was really bent on portraying characters in a different light. I felt extremely conflicted.

I wonder if people will hate me for writing like this.

**Summary:** [AU] Really, if Yukimura hadn't looked at that time, he wouldn't be experiencing this strange burning in his chest. He wouldn't have found his eyes straying a little too much. And he certainly wouldn't find himself in this surreal situation where his nails were digging into Date Masamune's back. [DateSana]

**Warnings:** Slight OOC perhaps (not too sure if I fully captured their characters). Shonen-ai/BL/Yaoi. A failed attempt at creating drama – if you could even call it drama. Ah, and punching.

**Disclaimer:** Sengoku Basara solely belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and the genius minds of those who had worked together to create such a fabulous piece of work. I merely pinched some of the characters to play with.

* * *

**A d o l e s c e n c e**

**a** **D**at**e****x****S**a**n**a st**or**y

By **s****u I k a's** **w I n d** o _f_ t h e **c e l e s t I a l**

* * *

"That is enough!"

Yukimura, who was surprised to catch the degree annoyance which rang in that voice, looked up in a daze. "What?"

A giant fist smashed into his face.

He was used to the pain, having trained with his great teacher for a great deal of his life yet for some reason, at that moment, the numbing soreness felt terrifying real as soon as the sparks of pain and the scorching heat exploded across his cheek. The momentum which powered the punch had driven him back and off his feet so suddenly that he soon found his body crashing into the stone wall of the Takeda compound, the sheer force knocking the wind out of him. He gasped and winced at the prickling pain which rattled his shocked body. In spite of this, he forced his eyes opened in order to meet the powerful gaze of his beloved lord as he stood in the middle of the courtyard beside an equally shocked Sasuke whose short sword had dropped to the ground. That was strange. Since when had his lord returned unannounced? And why was he looking so disapprovingly at him? Yukimura slowly pried himself from the wall, flinching at the pain which shot down his back, before he settled before the two men on his knees and bowed his head deeply.

"Please forgive this incapable soldier, Your Lordship! I deeply apologise for causing grave offence to you, My Lord! Please punish me as you see fit for I am not worthy of-!"

"YOU FOOL!"

The fist pummelled into the crown of his head and Yukimura gasped when his face smashed against the ground. Blood burst from his nose and his mind reeled from the impact. It hurt. It really did. He could hear Sasuke stutter something rather nervously to his lord which was strange because Sasuke rarely did stutter, and if he did it was because something was terribly wrong. There was nothing wrong. This was normal was it not? Yet how was this normal then? At that moment, Yukimura wondered just how harsh had his training been all this time. How had he become immune to this inhuman amount of immeasurable pain? This wasn't normal was it? Lord Masamune didn't think so. So did Master Katakura, the first time he had witnessed his great lord hurling his body into an enemy's horse. But his lord saw it as normal, the Takeda army saw it normal so he supposed it must be normal…isn't it?

Coughing and snorting the blood out of his nose, he slowly lifted his body. "Y-Your Lordship?"

Takeda Shingen was observing him with a grim expression. "One simple miscalculation will cost you your life, Yukimura! Do not treat it so recklessly, even whilst training with Sasuke!" And then after a small pause, his eyes hardened before he said, ever so quietly, "Have you forgotten your resolve?"

Yukimura's eyes widened in disbelief. He wanted to shoot down such a thought by retorting with all his heart's content that it was inconceivable, that he would never go back on his word, that he had and always will _live_ for Takeda Shingen because nothing will ever deter him from that fact. Yet…

"I do not know."

He couldn't.

Sasuke looked astonished at this. "Master…"

He just couldn't.

The words just died on his mouth before he could even form the vowels with his tongue. He stared at his lord, feeling the wave of insecurity come crashing over him and sink into his skin, his lips quivering to speak – what? What was he going to say? Was there anything to say? – as he felt his throat clog up. It was becoming blurry for some reason. What is he thinking about? Yukimura felt exhausted. He was worn to a frazzle. But that didn't make sense. What is he getting worked up on?

"Forgive me Your Lordship, but I cannot serve you. Not like…" Not like what? What exactly was he going on about? Yukimura swallowed back the unpleasant bile in his throat. "This humble man cannot…" he trailed off and his mind suddenly went blank when he felt a shaky hand touch his shoulder. He looked up to find Sasuke peering at him with concern as he down crouched before him. There was a strained smile upon his face.

"The commander left."

Yukimura was at a loss. His eyes darted from the ninja to the empty spot where his lord had been standing just moments ago. "Without a word? I don't…"

Sasuke looked flabbergasted. "Didn't you hear? He said he didn't want to deal with you. At least, not at the moment, I hope."

He knew Sasuke added that last bit on to make the situation seem a bit lighter. It did to an extent but Yukimura knew better. It was unfortunate that Sasuke had forgotten how he was able to read through his lies, just as the way the ninja could with him. "I see," he quietly murmured, wiping the blood from his nose as he slowly clambered to his feet.

"Master-"

"I'm fine Sasuke." Perhaps he might have said too firmly because Sasuke seemed somewhat distraught when he brushed past him to make his way to the house. He would have apologised but then it was likely that Sasuke had already disappeared off to his next mission which had been set up by their lord. Missions which do not involve him or stopping the avaricious One-Eyed Dragon.

Date Masamune.

Once again, the vivid images and sensations of that night had filtered through his mind in a disturbing flicker. He could still feel lingering touches of those calloused hands on his skin, the intensity of that one eye, the shuddering gasp against his throat when those rough fingers milked out the warm stickiness from their sexes…

Yukimura squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head to will away the sudden uncomfortable prickling of his skin which had erupted all over his body. Those images…they were nothing but a memory now. What happened that night was simply nothing but the desperate release of tension from their bodies. He had seen the concerned looks Sasuke had discreetly thrown at him ever since that day. He had seen the way the ninja's fingers twitch every once again, just waiting to eagerly snap something. But he needn't worry. Whatever that had occurred that night, it wasn't going to happen again. He would make sure of it. But first-

Yukimura stopped before the thick rice paper door, a pensive look upon his face as he stared at the small notch to pull the doors open.

He needed to clear his mind.

He needed to speak with his lord. Somehow.

Taking a deep breath, he slid the door open and quietly stepped in.

* * *

Takeda Shingen was leaning over the small work table, diligently reading a secret document which Sasuke had passed to him earlier that day under candlelight. He frowned, sighing with frustration every now and then as he glanced at the map he had laid out under his numerous leaves of paper, his eyes strewing over the red markings he had jotted across it. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Occasionally, he reached up to scratch at his moustache as he sighed in frustration. Whilst Shingen was certain that the strategy which he had laid out was flawless, he couldn't help but revise it over and over again. It wasn't because he was nervous. No, it was merely because he was facing off Uesugi Kenshin once again and this time, he wanted the battle to finish off with a clean, exceptional victory – one which will go down in history in his army's name. It was time for the War God of Echigo to go back and devote his life to being the devoted monk of Bishamonten he once was.

As he skimmed over Sasuke's obscure handwriting once again, the door of the hall slid open and in came the familiar light, pensive steps. Shingen relaxed. It was Yukimura. He carried on reading.

"Um. Please forgive me for interrupting you, Your Lordship but there is…it is something that…truthfully, sir, I-"

Shingen frowned and circled a particular set of hills on the map. So this is where Kenshin would station his third battalion. He couldn't help but smirk. A wise move. He glanced up to see Yukimura sitting rather primly a few feet before him, his head lowered in respect as he mumbled away with incoherency. "What is it Yukimura? Out with it, boy," His eyebrows were pinched together in deep thought. "I hope you are smart enough to notice how busy I am right now."

Yukimura stiffened at this and he inclined his head sharply, a string of apologies came spewing forth (most of which Shingen had ignored in favour of reading) before he finally managed to dig for the right words. "Forgive me Your Lordship, I mean no intention to bore you with small talk but there is an important matter which I humbly seek for your guidance upon!"

"Hm." Shingen placed Sasuke's letter down before he picked up another report in order to skim over it. "Is that so?" he murmured, partially interested. His eyes brightened a little. Ah. He glanced down to the map and he circled the nearby marsh with a pleased look. Rounding Kenshin's soldiers to this area would handicap them. His archers could easily take them out here. Excellent.

"-that is to say – well – because –!"

Shingen frowned. Yukimura hadn't finished yet? He looked up and deepened his frown at his general. "Yukimura, get a hold of yourself, you blabbering fool! Enough of this impertinent talk and get on with it! What is this urgent business that you wish to address to me? Speak!"

"O-Of course! Please forgive me Your Lordship but I deem myself as incapable to participate in this battle! So I beseech to you, Your Lordhsip, to please grant me resignation from this esteemed battle until I am deemed fit and worthy!" Yukimura pressed his forehead against the floor with much force.

Shingen's eyes widened at this. He was stunned to silence. What did he just say? Clearly he had heard correctly…what was this nonsense that was coming out of Yukimura's mouth? Resignation? Incapability at this important turn point that was going to be made in history? He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Surely Yukimura must be anxious of what was to be the outcome of this grand battle. Yet…

He took in the way Yukimura had set his posture, his arms and shoulders stiff, his fingers quaking, the way he presses his forehead forcefully against the ground.

Shingen scowled.

Yukimura was serious.

The fool!

In a fit of blind rage, he stood and kicked aside the work table, paying no heed to the fact that his documents were flying off in different directions as he stormed over to his general. Yukimura had glanced up with a pitiful look upon his face and he opened his mouth to speak but Shingen would hear none of it. He grabbed the young man by the collar and hauled him up to his feet by brute force. "YOU BUFFOON! HOW DARE YOU BECOME SO SELFISH! YOU DARE BRING DOWN THE NAME OF THE TAKEDA CLAN! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR PLACE?" he thundered into his face.

Yukimura looked torn, his eyes were filled with remorse, but he dared not let his gaze waver. Shingen felt him tremble in his presence as he did his best to appear composed. "Please forgive this inadequate soldier, Your Lordship, but rather than risk the possibility of an unsuccessful outcome, I humbly wish to withdraw from this battle," he glanced away, "as I see myself as unworthy of facing Lord Masamune and-!"

"SILENCE!"

Yukimura was now embedded against the wall at the other end of the hall, gasping as he collapsed in pain after Shingen had thrown him to release his frustration. He glared at him as he approached the whimpering man. "A request for withdrawal out of cowardice…I shall never accept such absurdity! You will fight this battle, Yukimura!"

"B-But sir!" he staggers up to a stand to press on with a stubbornness which was uncharacteristic of him, gritting his teeth to fight back the pain. "I beg you to please consider, Your Lordship! I-I simply _cannot_- with Lord Masamune–he–!"

A punch was thrown and Shingen felt the sick twist of pleasure upon seeing the spray of blood which had burst past his general's lips when his fist pummelled into his gut and effectively silenced him.

"Your duty is to stop the One-Eyed Dragon! That is that! You will do as you have been assigned to do! Banish those elusive qualms and finish him!"

"I-I-!" The torn look in Yukimura's eyes was back once again and Shingen couldn't help but punch him in frustration. If sense needed to be pounded into him, then so be it.

"YUKIMURA!"

A gasp of pain and Yukimura went stumbling across the floor. "S-Sir-!"

Shingen came charging and his fist crashed into his stomach. Blood dripped from the boy's chin. "YUKIMURA!"

"Y-Your Lordship!" the young general had managed to sputter through gritted teeth as he collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen. "I beg you! Please resign me of my duty! I cannot face Lord Masamune in this state! We cannot meet at this moment because –urk!"

Shingen's nostrils flared and he seized Yukimura by his hair, pulling his gaze to meet his own. "Yukimura, that is enough."

The boy looked like he was about to protest yet once again but then he faltered and eventually, he closed his eyes and his shoulders finally sagged in defeat. "…I understand, Your Lordship."

* * *

Sasuke stretched his limbs out and let out a long sigh, a pleased smile upon his lips when he felt his joints pop. He had just returned from his mission that night, the soles of his feet were still tingling from the sensation of flitting through the woods whilst dodging past the dangerous _shurikens_ that were thrown his way by Kasuga, who in spite of looking absolutely stunning tonight (she had painted her lips to a sheer cherry blossom colour instead of the usual pastel rose red, which also looked gorgeous on her, mind you) was not in the best of moods. He sighed, his hand reaching up to rub the dull ache at the small of his back where he had collided against a branch with a wry smile. "Really, she should give up on courting after Echigo's War God. That man has no one but the commander in his interests," he couldn't help but sigh as he raked his fingers through his windblown hair, frowning a little.

He crossed the courtyard, eyes glancing towards the hall where the warm glow of the small oil lamps which had cast their vividness onto the thick rice paper screens, a shadow looming amongst it. Sasuke quirked his brow, but he wasn't at all surprised. It had been a common sight nowadays to see the Tiger of Kai bent over his desk and engrossed with his papers. Often, a faraway look could be found upon his face as enactments of the upcoming battle played in his mind and his eyes would trace his map, ink drawing out his strategies upon the sheet with meticulous care. Takeda Shingen had never looked as focused than this before.

Sasuke smiled wryly.

Perhaps it was already time to bring down the curtain on their rivalry?

He hopped onto the veranda and he began to make his way towards his private chambers.

Perhaps so. It was probably about time Yukimura flourishes his spears to imprint his own mark in history and pave the way for a bright and promising future through this bleak era. Although, he actually wondered if Yukimura would actually be capable of executing such conduct with grace. He couldn't help but snort in amusement at such a thought. The only thing Yukimura appeared to be graceful at was when he was soaring through the air after receiving one of the commander's falcon punches.

Speaking of which.

He stopped in mid-step and looked up, unperturbed by the sudden explosion of splinters and rice paper a few paces before him as a figure in red flew by, stumbling across the courtyard in an awkward tangle of arms and legs. Sasuke glanced to the side, peering through the hole in the wall which revealed the audience hall. Perhaps he should consult the woodcutter to begin construction for a new wall… Peeking through the dust, he was able to make out the large form of Takeda Shigen in the glow of the oil lamps as he gathered up his documents and prepared to leave. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

Just what on earth…?

He glanced over to Yukimura's limp form which had remained sprawled across the ground, his arms and legs akimbo by his sides. He wasn't moving.

A swell of panic rose in Sasuke and within a split second, he was now crouched near to the young man, his hands hanging uselessly by his sides as he stared on, stupefied. It wasn't the fact that there was a disturbing sight of dried blood caking around Yukimura's nose as well as on his lips. It was also not because of the fact that pieces of his armour had chipped away from bearing the brunt of their lord's might nor was the fact that his body had been battered from the sheer onslaught of those iron mammoth fists, livid bruises left in their wake. No. What stunned Sasuke was the fact that Yukimura was simply lying there, staring up at the sky with a hopeless look upon his face. Under the moonlight, his eyes looked black, that once irrepressible spark of burning spirit behind them almost diminished.

"Master…" Sasuke started.

There was a clap of thunder, which reverberated beyond the row of hills towards east.

Yukimura's face scrunched up in pain.

And then it started to rain.

* * *

Sasuke gingerly dabbed some ointment upon a few grazes which had littered across the small of Yukimura's bare back, cleaning away the dirt and grime which had settled on the wounds before he eventually dabbed some more ointment to disinfect them. There were some large, deep ones and he couldn't help but flinch when he cleaned them. Yukimura, after finally being dragged out of the rain and his comfortable spot in the middle of the courtyard (albeit a little reluctantly), didn't seem to register the pain. In fact, the young man seemed so engrossed in thought that Sasuke felt a little offended when the other hadn't paid much heed to his being right there and then. Yukimura simply sat there, his top armour long discarded to the floor a little away from him, his eyes listlessly staring off to the wall. His face was disturbingly haggard after the ninja had cleaned all the blood off.

Unfurling out a small roll of bandage, Sasuke began dress the wounds with care, his eyes straying to the young man's face every now and then with worry.

For Yukimura to shut out everything and retreat into his own shell so suddenly like this…

"It didn't go very well, did it?" the ninja dared to asked.

The sound of the rain teeming down on the roof and the light scraping of his own clothes across the tatami floor as he moved a little closer to Yukimura was all that answered him back as he diligently worked on tightening the young man's dressings.

His eyes hardened for a moment.

_That bad, huh?_

He secured the last bandage around Yukimura's arm with care and he decided to change the subject and lighten up the dreary atmosphere which circulated around. "Well, I suppose the commander can be a little stubborn when it comes to–"

Suddenly Yukimura moved, his hands reaching out towards him and before Sasuke could even register what had happened, his head had been forcefully tilted back and Yukimura's lips crashing against his own. Sasuke's eyes widened with disbelief whilst Yukimura's had slipped closed.

Whoa.

Wait.

What.

A stunned silence filled the room, the pattering of rain against the roof and the courtyard seemed too far off for Sasuke to register as his fingers twitched and curled against the tatami floor, trying to get some sort of grip on reality. Seriously, this wasn't really happening now, was it? Surely Yukimura didn't think that he could easily throw himself on other men now after that accidental encounter with the One Eyed Dragon…

As sudden as when it had started, it ended the moment Yukimura had quickly pulled back and there was that pained look in his eyes as Sasuke gaped back at him, clearly at a loss. "O-Oy…wha…?"

Ashamed, Yukimura casts his gaze to the floor as his hand retreats from Sasuke's hair in order to grasp the material of his trousers tightly. It wasn't long until his shoulders visibly shook and unable to handle whatever that had been eating him away for the past week since his meeting with Oshu's young lord, he breaks down. "I-I cannot…Lord Masamune is of high standing…he cannot…this cannot work, Sasuke!" he suddenly chokes out in an outburst; his voice was all scratchy and hoarse. His face scrunches up in distress and Yukimura buries his face in his hand.

"Master…" Shaking off the initial shock which took over his body, Sasuke straightens his back and inches a little closer to the young man, a grave look of concern was upon his face.

"There is an ache in my heart whenever I think of this battle. It tears me apart and swallows me whole whenever the thought of him being killed…by these hands…" Yukimura watches his free hand flex their fingers. "It's funny. It should be expected. It shouldn't hurt, Sasuke, since we're both warriors, but it does." He laughs dryly.

Sasuke smiles grimly at this. He could understand. Like Kasuga and himself, his affections could not be returned by the woman simply because of the grave repercussions of such a bond should produce if it was to be established between them. Whilst moonlight trysts were possible, it was risky and they both didn't want to jeopardise the standings of the clans that they respectively worked for. But ninjas were different. Should they be dismissed, they could easily find another master to work under. Yukimura and Masamune didn't have that privilege. And they were both young men who had come from good families. It wouldn't be long before society dictates them to settle down and produce an heir to carry on their family name. Sasuke watches helplessly as Yukimura rubs his forehead against the palm of his hand harshly, his bottom lip was quivering from the abuse of his teeth as he tried to hold himself together. The ninja lowers his head and glances down to take in the Yukimura's fingers were now back to gripping his trousers.

"I have tried…I really tried to reason with His Lordship but…I couldn't get the words right…and he…because of that I have to…and Lord Masamune…" Yukimura wasn't making much sense now. He seemed to be drifting back to his own destructive thoughts, zoning everything out one by one as his mumbles became nothing but incoherent ramblings.

Sasuke inwardly cursed. Of all times, he just had to be speechless and become so utterly useless at this time when his master…no, his friend needed him the most. It breaks his heart to see Yukimura so beaten up over this yet he doesn't know what to do, much less what to reply. He swallows back the terrible lump in his throat and he decides to do the first and the only thing which came to his mind then.

Grabbing Yukimura's arm, he pulls him into an embrace.

Yukimura ceases his mumbling, his body stiffening in shock. "Sa…su…?"

Sasuke tightens his arms around the young man's shoulders, his forehead pressing against his shoulder. "Let it all out," he whispers in encouragement. "Just let it go. I'm here for you, so release it all on me."

At first, Yukimura said nothing. His shoulders had tensed after he had caught Sasuke's hushed words and the ninja could feel the rhythm of his ragged breathing against his own chest. Sasuke's heart was racing as he waited in bated breath, eyes closing in resignation as he expected the first blow of a violent outburst to spark from Yukimura's strong integrity and pride as a man. But it never came. Instead, Yukimura hiccupped and not long after, his hands hand reached up to claw Sasuke's back in order to grab him and pull him impossibly closer. He hiccupped some more causing his chest spasm uncontrollably against his own.

A knowing look was upon Sasuke's face as he raised one of his hands and buries it into Yukimura's hair kindly_._ He couldn't help but smile mirthlessly. _So he still holds his sobs in with his teeth, just like when he was little…_ Brushing his forehead reassuringly against the young man's shoulder, he then utters that one magic word that would free Yukimura, just as it always had when he was a child.

"Please."

Yukimura's hands quivered violently against his back and like a broken dam which had been defeated in an overflowing river, a strangled cry was torn from his lips and the heart-wrenching sobs came gushing after it.

* * *

**A/N:** I am tired. There was so many times where I wanted to just **stop** because I started doubting myself. But I'm glad I managed pulled through with the help of my beloved troll of a fiance. So. Yukimura breaks down, Shingen-papa doesn't seem to do much except throw falcon punches and Sasuke is there to make it all better. What shall happen next? Drop in a **review** and give me your thoughts! :D


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I really apologise for the long wait, everyone! I've been busy with university and moving and roleplaying (remarkably) and yes, SUMMER IS FINALLY HERE. I hope I can write as much as I can during vacation period. Aside that, and from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS! I really like reading the different responses I'm getting from you all! It was really interesting how some of you really looked into the chapter and try to figure out what was going on and your different views on the characters, especially Shingen-papa! It was quite a daring move to take, to be honest. I was reluctant to post that chapter beforehand because I thought I must have been pushing it but then I really wanted to take a different view on Shingen. So I'm happy to see the different reactions I've drawn out from each of you. Thank you so much for taking the time to express your thoughts, it really does mean it a lot to me! m(^w^)m

Now, to answer this question: Since English is not my mother tongue then what is it? I don't know if many of you know or heard of this language but it's Malay. (^w^)

For **Trekiael**, I do agree with you on how weird it was that Kojuro had called Masamune 'Boss Masamune' but he had called him that in the anime. Although it sounded pretty 'normal' when Kojuro had called him that, I realised that reading it made it look rather weird. So thank you for pointing that and I will bear in mind to stick to 'Lord Masamune' only. For **Jade,** worry not, I do not intend to develop anything apart from friendship between Yukimura and Sasuke. I have clearly stated that this story is DateSana. (^^)

As such, we have reached chapter six! What are we expecting? The upcoming battle between Shingen and Uesugi as well as the long awaited reunion between Masamune and Yukimura! I don't think I've executed the battle scenes very well, so please do not expect anything so spectacular.

**Summary:** [AU] Really, if Yukimura hadn't looked at that time, he wouldn't be experiencing this strange burning in his chest. He wouldn't have found his eyes straying a little too much. And he certainly wouldn't find himself in this surreal situation where his nails were digging into Date Masamune's back. [DateSana]

**Warnings:** Slight OOC perhaps (I can never really guarantee that I've captured their characters – it's fanfiction after all). Shonen-ai/BL/Yaoi. Slight graphic violence. Profanity.

**Disclaimer:** Sengoku Basara solely belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and the genius minds of those who had worked together to create such a fabulous piece of work. I merely pinched some of the characters to play with.

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**A d o l e s c e n c e**

**a** **D**at**e****x****S**a**n**a st**or**y

By **s****u I k a's** **w I n d** o _f_ t h e **c e l e s t I a l**

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The day had finally arrived and the soldiers filed out of Kai, marching towards the field which would serve as the stage which has been set for the dance of death between Shingen and Uesugi's troops. Although Yukimura had woken up exceptionally early that morning with a terrible ache in his heart and the drop of dread within him seemed to swell larger and larger in his chest, he had trudged on nevertheless and led his horse through the mud. He had decided to walk since it would distract him from such dreadful thoughts, especially since they always lead to that one man who was starting to assume some disturbingly disproportionate level of importance in his mind. Takeda Shingen had been solemn since they had left Kai but the fire in his eyes was ever present, roaring with the unquenchable thirst for victory. This alone was enough to raise the soldiers' morale. Takeda Shingen had made it clear that such a petty shower will not dampen their fighting spirits, even if it was torrential. Yukimura swept his hair to the side of his face, peering through the rain to ensure that he was leading everyone to the right path alongside his two aides which flanked both of his sides.

"Yukimura!" Shingen bellowed through the rain.

"It is just beyond the cluster of trees, Your Lordship!" he shouted back. Yes, it won't be long before the long-awaited battle between the Tiger of Kai and the War God of Echigo shall commence.

Sasuke suddenly appeared, crouched upon Yukimura's horse, looking equally drenched as his clothes hung onto him like a second skin. "Master! The One-Eyed Dragon has appeared in the east! My scouts have reported that the number of Date's army appears to be more than usual. I have the feeling that the Dragon hasn't simply descended from his perch to simply 'crash the party'. I fear he aims for something more foolish than that."

Yukimura's grip tightened around the reins of his horse, in conjunction to the sudden coldness which had brutally clenched his heart with its icy fingers. He swallowed back the bile which welled up his throat, his face visibly blanching at this report. Was Lord Masamune planning to take them all out at _once_? Preposterous! Even this was too ambitious for him! He whipped his head around and parted his lips to voice his thoughts to Sasuke, only to stop when he realised that the ninja had disappeared and appeared by Shingen's side. Yukimura caught the smirk upon his great teacher's lips upon hearing Sasuke's report (which surprised him greatly and he couldn't help but feel amazed with his lord's outstanding foresight) and that powerful gaze was fixed upon him not soon after. "Yukimura!" he beckoned to the general and the Young Cub turned on his heel in order to make his way over to the great man who had stopped his horse.

"Your Lordship?"

"You shall guide your division to thwart that fool. Sasuke will be by your side to aid you in this task," he commanded, sending a nod of approval to the ninja who simply inclined his head to the great man in respect.

Rather than rejoicing for being entrusted with such a mission, Yukimura paled. "B-But sire! We have not reached the battle field. I cannot assure your-"

Takeda frowned down at him, a little surprised with the boy's uncharacteristic hesitance. "The One-Eyed Dragon is a quick bastard, Yukimura! You must leave at once if you wish to carry out this mission successfully! Make haste _now_!"

Yukimura's eyebrows furrowed together and he peered up at the man with the stubbornness of a mule. "_But_-!" A large hand suddenly lunged out and he screwed his eyes shut, cringing as he waited in bated breath for the oncoming punch and the sharp stinging pain which would pummel him to the wet ground. However, none came. Instead he felt his lord's hand pat the crown of his head and there was no force behind it. Yukimura opened his eyes and he stared at the mud under his feet, at a loss.

_Your Lordship..?_

Shingen needn't any words to project what he needed to say to the young man. After all, actions worked better with Yukimura. So he simply gave another reassuring pat on the boy's head, his fingers giving a small ruffle to the dampened locks.

The gentleness behind the touch was a little baffling to Yukimura but after a while, after letting it sink in a little under the pattering rain, he finally looks up at Shingen who was merely looking down at him with the ghost of an encouraging smile on his lips. Yukimura opens his mouth to voice his thoughts. He really didn't want his lord to set forth to the battlefield unattended – how was he supposed to guarantee that Lord Kenshin would not order a pre-emptive strike before surrounding the Takeda army and declaring a victory? Not that the War God was deceitful man but this was war, _anything _was possible. Better yet-

"Your-" he started. However Shingen would have none of it as he merely gives him another pat on the head, causing his _hachimaki_ to slip over his eyes a little.

The rain continued to pour around them, the raspy wind licking their slick skin greedily but Yukimura felt warm then. The armour plates which weighed down on his body felt lighter, the tightening in his chest had lessened a little and Yukimura found it a little easier to breathe than when he had been struggling to for the past two weeks since the heated exchange he had with his master. The way Shingen was touching him then, it almost felt _paternal_ - something he wasn't accustomed to – and it confused him greatly. Why now? Of all times…? He felt the back of his eyes sting and his throat constrict. He bit his bottom lip. He was glad that his _hachimaki_ was covering his eyes.

A distant clap of thunder echoed on the horizon.

Shingen pulled his hand away.

And Yukimura willed away the tears before he finally adjusted his _hachimaki_ back up and against his forehead.

"I will meet up to your expectations, Your Lordship!"

* * *

"That bastard!" was all Yukimura manages to catch from Sasuke as he tightened his grip around the body of his weapons. He hauls one of his spears out of a gasping man, blood and guts spluttering out and pooling onto the mud by his feet, before he tosses the corpse aside much like an unwanted toy. Shaking off the blood from his spearhead, he turns to the group of soldiers who had just stumbled out from the cluster of trees from the side after cutting down some of his men.

Yukimura spits out a foul curse and before he could move to aid them, he felt Sasuke's reassuring weight against his back as the ninja materialised in order to block off the incoming arrows which fell upon on him alongside the rain. "Master!" Sasuke's voice was ever alert.

"I'm fine Sasuke!" he confirms as he sniffled, wiping the bridge of his nose from the droplets of water which had settled there. "How is the situation with His Lordship?"

A few clashes of metal and screams resounded, and Sasuke was against his back once more, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "The commander's good, reached the field with no problem. He's probably having the time of his life with Echigo's War God as we speak-whoop!" A vicious zing of metal causes Yukimura to cringe a little but it wasn't long until a gurgle was choked out from the enemy's throat and Sasuke was next to him. "Just so you know Master, the One-Eyed Dragon is a little way up this hill. He looks quite smug, as always. Why don't we leave the men to take care these roaches and do some dragon hunting, hm?" he says this with a wicked upturn of his lips.

Yukimura tightens his grip around his spears, weighing it in his hands as he peers through the torrential shower, squinting to the general direction Sasuke had provided him with, overlooking the fighting men around him. He clicked his tongue, mustering up some of his strength before he lashes his blades out, dismembering the men who had blindly rushed headlong towards him in a burst of adrenalin. A disturbing array of limbs fell around him, blood splattering on his form before he glanced over to Sasuke, who simply grinned at him. It wasn't long until Yukimura sets off in a dash, Sasuke following closely behind him and they sprinted up the muddy hill to locate Date Masamune's perch.

It was a little of a shock to Yukimura for Masamune to not customarily join in the brawl that his men stirs up whenever Yukimura's division crosses path with them. His eyebrows knitted in thought as he trudged his way up as fast as he could, paying no attention to the strain it was causing to his muscles. He stumbled a few times gracelessly across slick ground, Sasuke cursing as he helped him up but that didn't deter him from pouncing through the mud, like the restless tiger keen on hunting down its prey. After a few more slips and less-than-elegant stumbles, Yukimura finally reaches the top of the hill and he sprints through the trees, eyes peeled for that distinctive crescent which glowed through grimness.

"Master!"

It only took a split second to raise his spears when the next thing he knew his foot was digging into the mud behind him as he tries to hold his ground and not buckle under the sheer weight which was forced upon him. He glares up through the interlocked blades at that one eye which peered down and regarded him in much curiosity and derision, that upper lip which was curled in scorn, that handsome face which was twisted into an ugly expression of sadistic glee. "Lord Masamune!" he growled and he increases the force behind his spears in order to push the man back a step.

Masamune grins madly at this, softly snorting as his eye appraises the young general before him. "Heh, so you finally showed up. And here I was thinking you turned tail and ran back to that decrepit Old Man."

"Watch your tongue! Do _not_ speak of His Lordship with such sauciness, One Eyed Dragon!" Yukimura snapped as he glared at the man through his wet bangs.

Masamune, on the other hand, seemed positively thrilled at this. "Ha! So the cub yips! What, you gonna scratch me now Yukimura? Why don't you be a good boy and stay in that cage of yours, cowering behind that withering tiger you love so mu-!"

Yukimura pushed back against the sword, throwing the other off balance before he seizes the chance to lunge in, aiming for his head. "That is enough! I shall not tolerate this banter from _you_!" he spat, growling when his blades missed. "Stand firm! If you are a truly a man of valiant heart, you will face me head on!"

Sensing how uncharacteristically serious Yukimura was, Masamune drew all of his swords out. "Oy, what the hell Yukimura? What's gotten you so riled–!" He staggered back a few steps, the mud sloshing under his feet as he ducked just in time when the other lashed out so viciously at him. His grin didn't waver however and he retaliated the blows with his own swipes, clicking his tongue in irritation when he struck air rather than something solid. A few lethal strikes and their blades clashed for a tense moment before they both jumped back in position, weapons poised in dead accuracy. Somewhere far off, Kojuro was engaging battle with Takeda's ninja and Masamune sought this opportunity to watch Yukimura carefully with his eye, smirking when he noticed the distress which was found behind the hardness forced in the young man's eyes. _Oh?_

"You little shitface…" his grin widened as he spoke, weighing the swords in his hands. "You don't look well. _Ha!_ Don't tell me you're having doubts after that night?"

That struck a chord in Yukimura and he gritted his teeth, his hands shaking a little as he gripped his spears tightly. "Forgive me but I think you are mistaken, Lord Masamune. That night was nothing but an accident. Nothing has changed between us." The words tasted horrible in his mouth and they had sent a pang in his heart but he had to say it.

"_What?_" For one moment, Masamune had simply stared at him in disbelief, just as Yukimura looked back at him with his jaw set in uncertainty. "…the fuck are you on about Sanada Yukimura?" Strangely, the confusion was not reflected in his voice. Instead, bitterness and anger prevailed.

Yukimura was taken aback by this and he was not prepared when Masamune had suddenly dropped the weapons in his hands before he then stalked over and reached out to seize the young general by his necklace, yanking him close until their noses almost touched. In spite of the rain which teemed heavily on their armours and screamed through their hair, Masamune's eye bore down into his own with such unwavering intensity, his warm breath coming in wisps which swept across Yukimura's lips, making them tingle with unspoken _want._ Yukimura cursed under his breath and he tightened his grip around his spears as he pushed down the impulse to cut the other man down for being incredibly bold and inappropriate with him – especially in the middle of such an important battle. He glared up at him. "Please excuse me for not providing a clear illustration of my words, Lord Masamune. I am but a warrior and not wordsmith, so my explanations may be spoken in the language of–"

"Oy." Masamune bared his teeth as he yanked the necklace forcefully to silence Takeda's general. "Cut the fancy formalities, Yukimura. You may have wooed that sadist of a teacher of yours with your talented tongue but that shit ain't gonna work on me. What the hell did you mean by–!"

Yukimura bristled and upon dropping his spears the ground, his sense of self-discipline broke and he shoved Masamue back a few steps, his necklace slipping out of the man's fingers, before he stepped in and threw a reckless punch, his knuckles connecting Masamune's unguarded jaw. Whilst staring at the man with wild eyes and flaring nostrils, it really was a wonder how Yukimura had managed to hold himself back from lunging at him. "How _dare_ you! His Lordship is nothing but a great man whom I wish to pursue after in great reverence! To suggest such…such uncouthnes-!" Suddenly, a fist smashed into his face and Yukimura was sent staggering back through the mud. Surprised by retaliated blow, he glowered at Masamune.

"So you really think nothing happened that night? Even when you gasped out my name over and over as I jerked you off?"

It was more of a statement rather than a question.

And Yukimura feels his cheeks redden at this and he gritted his teeth, clicking his tongue in frustration as a comeback dies away and he was left with nothing to say except to stubbornly glare at his rival.

Masamune's eye lit up at this and a wicked smirk rose on his lips. "So you did like it."

"There was no such thing!" Yukimura spat and in his embarrassment, he had decided to lunge forward, the tails of his _hachimaki_ flying behind him as he made to attack the man with his fists. He growled, frustrated when none of his punches connect. "Stop running away, you cowar-!"

Masamune simply barked out a laugh and he reached out, his hand snaking its way into his muddy hair as he grappled Yukimura, drawing him close. His eye widened in excitement when a sharp gasp had escaped from Yukimura, the expression upon his face twisting into one of absolute glee. "I don't think I'm the one who's running away here. Fuck, you're quite a terrible liar aren't you, Yukimura," he drawled out, smirking in triumph, finding pleasure in the torn look within Yukimura's eyes.

Yukimura wedged his arm between them, almost as an afterthought to Masamune's words and with a stubborn frown he shoved his forearm against the man's chest to create some space between their bodies. "I speak of nothing but the truth!" he tried to justify himself, in spite of how his voice wavered at the end.

"Oh yeah?" The One Eyed Dragon kept his hold firm around the other as he leaned in to give a slow tantalising lick across Yukimura's grimy cheek, shuddering at the earthiness, the coppery tang of blood and that distinct _Yukimura-esque_ aftertaste on his tongue. He tightened his grip in Yukimura's hair, his gloved fingers curling against the other's scalp with such restrained want. Fuck, he wanted to lap it all up and keep it all to himself. "Then why aren't you mustering all of your strength to kill me, eh? Tell me _guren_, what's holding you back from slitting my throat open right now?" he drawled, his smirk widening when he felt the young general stiffen his hold.

Yukimura pursed his lips into a firm line, his brows pinched together in mulish stubbornness and his eyes hardened upon a particular tree not too far from them. Grasping on to the trust which had been bestowed on him by his beloved lord, he refuses to answer.

The One-Eyed Dragon ran the tip of his tongue across his teeth, downright pleased with the amount of control he had dancing in the palm of his hand, and he tugged Yukimura's hair in order to tilt his head back so their gazes could meet. "You want me don't you, you little bastard?"

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**A/N:** And that's that chapter! I'm sorry if the chapter seems a little bit shorter than before. I've tried my best to write this. By the way, for those who don't know, _guren _literally means 'crimson lotus flower'. So. How shall Yuki respond? As always, feedback is always loved! :)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hello and once again, thank you all so much for all your reads, likes, favourites and reviews. I'm sorry that I took a break from this story. I've been in a slump with this fandom. I've tried my best to finish this so I apologise if it isn't as spectacular as it should have been but I hope it was worth the wait. OTL

If you really want to enhance your reading, listen to the track '_Luster' _from the Sengoku Basara Disc 1 OST on loop. It's ace, bros.

**Disclaimer:** Sengoku Basara solely belongs to Capcom, Production I.G. and the genius minds of those who had worked together to create such a fabulous piece of work.

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**Adolescence**

**a** **D**at**e****x****S**a**n**a st**or**y

By **su****i****ka****lopolis**

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"Tell me _guren_, what's holding you back from slitting my throat open right now?"

Yukimura stiffened at the question which had suddenly been thrust upon him and within that small amount of time, all sorts of thoughts flitted through his mind, all colours of emotions surged through him before his attention was finally drawn back to the stormy grey hue of Masamune's eye. Yukimura's brows knitted together in disbelief at the conundrum he was suddenly forced to confront with.

Masamune…just _what_ was he trying to prove?

Grasping onto the trust which had been placed upon him by his beloved lord, Yukimura refused to answer. No, that was not it. In actuality, Yukimura had not simply refused to answer but he had also refused to _acknowledge_ such a question. There was really no point in –

Yukimura's eyes widened in surprise when his head was forcefully tipped back and he found himself staring up into the face of an exquisitely gleeful Masamune.

"You want me don't you, you little bastard?"

Suddenly, time stilled.

The echoes of fighting which had bounced through the trees quietened. Sasuke and Master Katakura were nowhere in sight. The rain continued to patter against their armours, though this fact was quickly overlooked by Yukimura. He was only well aware of one fact and one fact only, that they were both alone. For the first time in weeks since their last encounter, it was just the two of them standing face to face and they were so close, _so close_ that Yukimura could actually pick up the whiff of tobacco smoke in Masamune's breath.

_Had_ _he been that anxious of this meeting to make him smoke his pipe?_

Yukimura's face pinched in disbelief.

_Inconceivable!_

He gave a hard shove to Masamune's chest.

Suddenly, the images of that night flashed through his mind and he quickly retracted his arm in a wave of mixed feelings. A weight dropped to the pit of his stomach and it made him feel queasy and disturbingly unsettled. Warning horns were blaring in his head and his mind was screaming at him to get away and his body responded to it. He gave another push to Masamune's chest and shuffled his feet a step back. However, Masamune was having none of it. With other plans in mind, he tightened his grip on Yukimura's hair to hold him still, grinning cruelly as he let out a triumphant whoop.

"Would ya look at that? Ha! Who would've thought that Sanada Yukimura, the so called 'Crimson Demon' and lap dog of Old Man Takeda, is actually-!"

Caught amidst the peculiarity of the subject and the sudden upsurge of irritation towards the triumphant look on Masamune's face, Yukimura uttered the first thing which came to his mind. "Do you not, Lord Masamune?" he interjected, his voice low and surprisingly level.

The One-Eyed Dragon stopped laughing, his body visibly bristling in reaction. He looked into Yukimura's face, his eye searching, as the previous gloating was now gone. An indiscernible look was upon his face. "…the hell are you-"

Yukimura boldly reached up and he grasped the man's collar with his free hand, forcefully drawing him close so he could look directly into his eye. "You feel it too, do you not? The sparks which burn within your breast? How your heart beats and beats and beats to a point where it starts to ache? How the flame that is trapped within this chest pulsates and wishes to become free? Tell me, Lord Masamune, you too desire me, do you not?" he demanded. His eyes hardened while his heart pounded in excitement, in anticipation – _of what? Surely not of what hadwouldcould_ – before he noticed the small twitch to Masamune's mouth.

It was almost as if the man had just swallowed back his words.

Masamune looked confused for a moment and after a while, in what seemed to be a snap decision, he tore his grip from Yukimura and tried to shove him away. "Fuck off," he snarled. It sounded like an order.

Not that Yukimura cared. Tenacity was one of his redeeming streaks, after all. He yanked Masamune's collar forcefully in retaliation to stop the awkward jostling between them. "Do not walk away from me!" he cried.

"Tch, lay off!" snarled Masamune. Displeased with the rough manhandling, he grabbed the arm that was against his chest and squeezed it harshly. This was only rewarded with a glare from Yukimura who refused to relinquish his grasp, his fingers curling into the damp material possessively.

"Lord Masamune, I beseech to you to take responsibility because it was you who started it all!"

"What the hell are you yapping about now, Sanada Yukimura?"

"It's because of _you_ that _this_ –!"

Yukimura gnashed his teeth, his body trembled. He wasn't sure if it was because of the rain or something else entirely because again, the uprising of lustful memories happened – _itburnsitburnsI'mfallingfalling__**falling**__scorchinghotwhitepleasurepum pingthriving__**alive**__–_ just as Masmune's gloved hand swept up his forearm. Yukimura swallowed back the lump in his throat as he desperately tried to chase after the disappearing trail of his muddled thoughts. The thoughts which consisted of his beloved lord, of Sasuke, of the battle, of Masamune's wicked compelling power, of the rough tumbling in that small room, of the electrifying pleasure which surged through his body, of the unbelievable sense of frustration he was currently experiencing right there and then.

"If you hadn't –! Lord Masa–!"

"_Shut up_."

Masamune yanked him close and meshed their lips together – biting, sucking, lapping up blood, sweat and dirt.

Yukimura stilled, his fingers slackening before one of his arms fell uselessly by his side.

He stopped thinking.

There was no point in thinking since he was never good at it. Someone had always said that actions had worked better with Yukimura, and Masamune seemed to be well aware of that.

* * *

"Hey Right Eye, I think it would best if you were to step aside."

Sasuke's fingers skimmed across the surface of his weapon, smiling dangerously with a warning that flickered in his eyes. He watched Kojuro closely, taking note of the step the man took into his range. Ho, how bold.

"Lord Masamune shall not be disturbed," Kojuro proclaimed gruffly. His hand tightened around his sword. And so did Sasuke with his shuriken. In spite of how torrential the rain was around them, both men were still and readily poised for battle. Kojuro did not blink even as his hair, wet and tousled, slipped before his eyes.

Sasuke waved a hand out dismissively, his lips quirking up in amusement when he noticed the irritated twitch of Kojuro's brows. "Yeah? Well I'm not interested in that gung-ho bratty leader of yours, nor am I interested in engaging in anymore unnecessary combat with you. I'm more concerned about my master. He has a tendency to go overboard, after all." He gesticulated towards the ghastly sight downhill, proudly showing off Yukimura's mess of dismembered corpses carelessly strewn here and there, as if it was an exquisite piece of art. Yukimura truly lived up to his name when it came to the battlefield, drilling fear and admiration into many soldiers who have crossed his path.

Kojuro bristled, the frown on his face deepening. "Mind that loose tongue, ninja, lest I shall cut it off for showing such disrespect to my young lord."

Sasuke let out a low whistle. "Uwaa, somebody's rather cranky today. What, you didn't eat breakfast today? Or have the war horses chewed up that cute little garden of yours?" he taunted before springing back a few steps (being light on your toes was really something he was grateful for) in order to avoid the quick downward arc executed by Kojuro's sword. "_Oya oya_, are sure you won't you let me pass? You know, I was kind of expecting that you would know better than to leave those two alone, Master Katakura. You know how terrible they are in containing themselves."

When Kojuro hesitated for a moment, Sasuke had seized the opportunity to leap up into the air and slam his shuriken down against the man's sword. He smiled wryly down at him as the zing of their clashing weapons ran up his arms. "Heh."

As expected for the Right Eye to defend himself in a blink.

"It is _because_ of that reason that I shall not allow you to interfere," the older man finally said decisively, sagely.

"Huh?" Sasuke blinked in surprise.

_Just what does he think he's doi–_

There was a flicker of silver.

"Damn-!"

* * *

Yukimura gasped, his back connecting painfully against the bark of a nearby tree as Masamune forcefully shoved him against it after much graceless stumbling through the mud. He tried to shove the man off him but Masamune would not relent as he pushed into Yukimura's personal space and pressed the base of his palms against the joints of Yukimura's shoulders in order to pin him in place. Yukimura growled, clearly unhappy with the restraint.

After much awkward jostling, Yukimura was finally able to raise his knee in what little space was left between them and he felt a wave of satisfaction when Masamune vehemently cursed at the underhanded knee to his abdomen. "Unhand me," Yukimura rasped out an order, licking his bruised lips as he glared up at him.

Instead of getting upset, the One-Eyed Dragon seemed visibly pleased with the act of defiance and he closed the space between them once more by slipping his leg in between Yukimura's to force them apart. "Oh yeah?" Masamune's eye lit up in glee as he chuckled darkly. "What? You gonna bite me? Or," He increased the pressure on Yukimura's shoulders, causing the general to grunt in discomfort. "Ya gonna submit to me, like the dog you are and _beg_?"

"Inconceivable! I shall never resort to such a degrading-_ngh_!" Yukimura hissed, biting back a pleasured groan when Masamune had sought that moment to boldly press his thigh against his crotch. Baring his teeth, Yukimura snarled at the other man and he fought against the force on his shoulders. "Wha-What do you thi– unhand me this instant, you brut–!"

"Oy oy, is this how you address your superior?" Masamune interrupted with a drawl and a bruising squeeze to the other's shoulders, making Yukimura falter for a moment to curse under his breath instead. "You know, for all your spunk Yukimura, you don't sound that all convincing. Especially not when this little _eel_-" he nudged his leg firmly against Yukimura's groin in order to feel the slight but distinct shape of the growing erection beneath his _kusazuri_. "-is up and ready to party–"

Enraged by the deliberate vulgarity on the other man's part, Yukimura lashed out like a chained animal when provoked. Disregarding the painful strain to his shoulders, he tried to lunge at Masamune. "I will strike you where you stand!" he shouted, his voice buffered by the rain. "Rather than resort to such shameless, tactless methods that is not suited of your stature, I chal–!" Yukimura flinched when Masamune suddenly began grinding his leg against his cock. "O-Oy! S…Stop tha…_don't_…!"

He grappled Masamune's armour in an attempt to wrestle against him but the familiar spark of spine-tingling pleasure that coursed through his body from the slow rubbing made his breath hitch and effectively forget the reprimanding remarks he was about to make. His jaw tightened at the escalating jitteriness which travelled up his tense body. It was a dangerous sign which signalled the fact that he was starting to cave in to the pleasurable buzz that was rattling his senses.

Masamune laughed at this, openly pleased with how Yukimura was beginning to crumble under his ministrations. Leaning in, he continued his languid rubs, driving his hips in at a steady pace as he traced the tip of his tongue across the shell of Yukimura's ear to drive him mad.

"Heh, what was that again? You want me to stop?" he taunted huskily.

Yukimura bit his lip to contain himself.

And then just as sudden as when he had started, Masamune stopped. He took a step back to appraise the bewildered expression on Yukimura's face and flashed him a condescending smile. "That's a great look on you, Yukimura."

Oddly enough, the sight of Yukimura looking at him in such a way made him excited. Not in the way he had always felt during their duels on the battlefields. This was a different sort of excitement. It was hotter, darker, _headier_. Something deliciously rotten and forbidden. Masamune had an idea of where his little act was taking them, of how painfully thin and fragile the line of their relationship stood. Yet he blindly went forward with it, his determination fuelled by the irrational desire to see Yukimura unwind before his eyes. Hell, the bastard was too stiff (pun not intended) for his own good and to see him loose beneath him, just like that one night…well, it was a sight which he really wanted to see again.

The moment Masamune had halted his teasing, Yukimura felt undeniably agitated, frustrated even, and his brows pinched together in disbelief as he stared back at Masamune with his mouth dropped open.

Wha…What…?

It took him a few moments to register what had actually happened. The strange _emptiness_. Masamune's piercing gaze. The heaviness of their breathing. That terribly familiar unquenchable yearning for something even _more_ as his heart pounded faster and faster.

Yukimura steadied his gaze on the man before he finally spoke. "Release my arms."

"Oh? You ain't gonna kill me now are you?" There was a peculiar glint in Masamune's eye as he licked his lips.

"I shall if you dismiss my humble request."

Masamune snorted. "Fucking dog, I don't take orders from you," he said with an amused smirk, slowly releasing the man's arms.

"And nor shall I from the enemy," Yukimura gave back before he reached up to clasp Masamune's face in his shaky hands and jerked him close.

He placed a clumsy kiss on Masamune's lips. There was a tremor of unease in Yukimura's body and he kept his eyes open, staring into the stormy grey hue of Masamune's eye.

…_Was this acceptable? _

_To bestow my tarnished lips upon Lord Masamune's own in such an impertinent manner… _

_Would he be enraged?_

When Masamune made no indication of displeasure (or even pleasure for that matter) Yukimura faltered and he wondered if he really should pull back for being the one at fault.

This was wrong. Everything was wrong.

None of this should have happened. It should not be happening.

It was just not acceptable.

After all, was he not here to kill The One-Eyed Dragon in the first place?

Unfortunately for Yukimura, Masamune had picked up on the hesitance of his action and without much consideration to the man's frazzled state, he opted to seize the reins. Mimicking Yukimura, he reached up to grasp the sides of the young general's face, clawing his skin possessively before sliding them upwards in an effort to bury his fingers into Yukimura's hair. Awkwardly and with less elegance than he thought he had mustered, he brushed the damp hair back and tugged at the tangles in a sense of urgency. It did not take long for the Yukimura's hair to fall loose and the string which once held his ponytail had dropped to the ground, lost in the mud. His _hachimaki,_ on the other hand, slipped and it covered his eyes.

Alarmed by this, Yukimura pulled out of the kiss and his hands dropped from Masamune's face. "Ah, forgive me, my Lord. I-" he mumbled shamefacedly as he reached up to adjust the _hachimaki _when Masamune caught his wrists and suddenly forced his arms away. Yukimura's head jerked up at this and his tongue flickered across his bottom lip, wetting it in a moment of accumulating distress. "Lord Masamune!" he gasped. "Wha-what are you doing? I cannot-"

Yukimura tensed upon detecting some movement before him. Wait, was Masamune-?

"Leave it," Masamune growled and his lips were brushing across the shell of his ear.

Yukimura furrowed his brows at this and he felt very uncomfortable with the way his skin crawled at the unnatural sensation. "My lord, I humbly implore you to please excuse this vassal for expressing-"

"Will you just shut it?" Masamune rasped.

Stunned, Yukimura quietened.

With the rain still teeming down upon them, Masamune blinked away the raindrops and he peered at Yukimura's face. Contrary to popular belief, Masamune was a man who was attentive to details and so he took his time surmising the face which had been floating in his mind's eye for an unhealthy period of time. He stood there, watching and taking in the way Yukimura panted, the way his hair was plastered against his forehead, the way his lips parted as his hot breath warmed his cheek. Masamune tightened his clench in Yukimura's hair and he forcefully tipped the man's head back.

The sudden jerk to his head had drew out a small gasp from Yukimura and the hachimaki slipped down his face. He blinked a few times, feeling the raindrops pattering on his face before his eyes finally aligned with Masamune's.

Yukimura's breath hitched.

Heavens, it was breathtaking.

The way Masamune was _glaring_ down at him with his eye, how a single gaze conveyed so much raw _emotion _in that deliciously right moment, it was just terribly breathtaking. And so very, _very _wrong.

"Lord Masamune-" he started.

"Sanada Yukimura," Masamune breathed and it took a lot of willpower for Yukimura to stop himself from visibly shuddering at the raspy quality of his voice.

Did Masamune take another step closer…?

Yukimura's heart stuttered.

"-s-sto-this cannot-Lord Masamune-we-it shan't-" he stammered, panic rising within him as he felt his heart climb to his throat. It made him sick. He wanted to throw it all up. He wanted to claw and beat at his chest - anything to stop the incessant pounding which reverberated through his ribcage and up to his ears.

"And why the hell not?"

Yukimura stopped breathing for one moment and he looked upon Masamune in astonishment. It wasn't the harshness of Masamune's tone which shocked him. Rather, it was the expression he wore on his face. For once in one of the rarest moments in his life, Yukimura was actually witnessing something rather extraordinary with Oshu's One Eyed Dragon. There, painted on the canvas of his face, was flicker of uncertainty, the callousness of youth, the raw unyielding desire of _want_ which spoke in infinite scrolls.

Oh dear god, Masamune _wanted _him.

"Because…" Yukimura began in a weak voice, unable to find an answer suitable enough to compliment the fragility of the situation which was about to crumble through their fingers. "We are not to be destined," he finally said.

There was an indiscernible look on Masamune's face.

And then-

The world spun for a moment and Yukimura grunted in discomfort as he felt his cheek scrape against the bark of the tree he had been shoved against. Something flared up inside him, rising up from the pit of his stomach and it made him terribly restless, upset even. Growling, he struggled against the force Masamune had set against him, "My Lord, I beseech you to steel yourself against this madness! This is not- _nothing _will become of this unwise path you wish you take! The gods-!"

"Gods my ass, don't you ever shut up Sanada Yukimura!" barked Masamune. His hands quickly moved across Yukimura's armour, tugging it here and there forcefully with uncertain hands.

"Lord Masamun-!"

A trail of harsh nips was made down the expanse of his neck and Yukimura found himself groaning at the sensation it cropped up, the prickling of desire dotting up his arms and down his spine. He growled, his breath becoming increasingly laboured as Masamune tussled with him, their feet digging into the mud as they both fought for control. With a vicious snarl, Masamune launched his weight against Yukimura's back to still him and with one of his hands, he successfully peeled Yukimura's upper armour aside to reveal his shoulder. He wasted no time and bit him there.

Yukimura howled at this and he jutted his elbow out in an attempt to jostle the mad man off him. He pressed his hands against the tree trunk and used it as a form of leverage, trying to jerk Masamune off his back so he could turn around and face him.

"My Lord, I ask you to heed these words! I humbly implore you to seize the reins of such ill thoughts! Steer them clear from your mind!" he cried out in desperation. "It is destined that-!"

"Ha! Destiny has nothing to do with keeping us apart! In case you haven't been paying attention, we're ironically fucking destined to be together!" Masamune snarled. The moment he was able to loosen the general's _kusazuri_ a notch, he shoved his hand down Yukimura's front and seized his half-erected cock.

Yukimura gasped at the contact and his body keeled in response. He grasped the tree trunk, clawing at it as he tried to stabilise himself. The heated proclamation had shocked him to the core _– such shameless audacity! Surely it must be nothing but an act of vaingloriousness and pretentiousness!_ - yet he couldn't find the words to defy the man. His attention was solely focused on the wet, calloused hand which was roughly tugging his penis, on how the awkward unpracticed strokes were wickedly stimulating.

Yukimura groaned and he pressed his forehead against the rough bark, caving in to the onslaught of pleasure. He could feel Masamune smirk against his skin as he dragged his teeth across the length of his shoulder.

"Lord Masamune, please. Stop."

"Make me."

Yukimura did not. Instead, he turned his head and crushed his lips against Masamune's in a crooked, heated kiss.

* * *

**A/N:** I shall hide now. Will there be a next update? Maybe. I don't want to make promises that I might end up breaking so we'll see?


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